Unanswered Questions: The Tale of Soul Eater
by sequoiacole
Summary: I've decided that I want to explore the origins of Soul Eater. During the anime I had many questions about him and was surprised to find that even though his name is the title of the show, we learn very little about him therefore, fanfic! Don't be upset that his name is Ethan Evans to begin with. His true name will emerge later on. Please enjoy! Also to be safe I DON'T OWN ANYTHING
1. Chapter 1: The Shark Toothed Grin

Monitors were screeching and beepers were sirens all through the small hospital just outside Windrake Falls. Nurses swarmed and a doctor arrived in the cramped room where Lila Evans was beginning to feel the conclusion of having a small child grow within her for nine months. This wasn't the first time her legs had been dangling from the stirrups, exposing her to the doctor who was patiently waiting to bring her child into the world...but it was her first time alone.

As she screamed painfully she recalled her first son Wesley who was waiting outside her room. She could see through the window that separated them that his eyes were filling with worry for her, tears brimming against his crimson orbs. He didn't know what was happening to his mommy.

Her thoughts were pushed hastily aside as another wave of pain shot through her body.

_Damn,_ she thought to herself, _this kid is just hell bent on making this as painful as possible._

Lila looked back at her son and thought with a twinge in her heartstrings how much he looked like his father. She knew the child she was birthing at the moment was going to be a boy as well.

_I hope he looks more like me._ She thought fleetingly.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" her screams filled the air as yet another contraction shook her senses.

* * *

After hours of labor and unsuccessful pushing on Lila's part, her son finally decided to make his way into the world. She panted heavily for a few moments, attempting to recover from the hours of exertion. She smiled sweetly as her son began to cry for the first time. Her vision was hazy with fatigue as they cleaned her baby, but she could sense an uncomfortable silence that was being passed around the room.

She began to worry and strained to look up. The crying had stopped and the doctor was wearing a strange expression on his face.

"Doctor?" Her voice sounded muffled in her pounding ears, "Is there something wrong?"

The doctor quietly handed Lila her newborn son and she took him in her arms lovingly before drinking in his sweet appearance.

_Huh,_ she thought, _a full head of hair. How strange for a newborn. _Her hopes from earlier faded as she looked upon him. Spitting image of his father, his blood red eyes and silver hair were enough to pull a single tear from her eye.

_God I miss Charles so much._

She looked up when she heard the door opening and her small three year old Wesley cautiously poked his head into the room.

She wiped away the tear that had begun to run down her cheek before addressing her first-born.

"Come here Wesley! Look at your new baby brother!"

He smiled and made his way over to his mothers' bedside.

"Are you hurting momma?" his voice filled with concern.

"No sweetheart momma is just fine." she smiled sweetly in reassurance.

She felt her baby stir in her arms and turned her attention towards the gurgling infant.

"I think I'm going to call you Ethan." she proclaimed with a satisfied nod.

_Really I don't know what these people are so worked up about. It's not uncommon for a baby to be born with a full head of hair. He's perfect._

She looked down and smiled at Ethan, and for a moment he attempted to mimic her expression. She laughed, watching baby Ethan try to smile. And after a few seconds of struggling, he did. She sucked in a short breath and her eyes grew wide when she saw the teeth. All fully formed...and razor sharp. A sinking feeling sat deep in her stomach

_Oh god what is wrong with him?_ She thought with a shudder.

His grin was almost..._maniacal_.

He started to cry as he sensed her uncomfortable aura and instinctively felt the need to protect himself. She watched as his chubby arm transformed into a blade.

Lila let out a blood curdling scream before fainting dead away.


	2. Chapter 2: A Twisted Home

-6 years later-

"Momma?" A timid voice came from around the corner, distracting Lila from her sewing, "Can I go outside and play with Wes?"

She sighed before answering with the same response she had given her diseased son many times before.

"No Ethan you can't. You might hurt the other children." she turned back to her stitch, attempting to regain her concentration.

"But momma I won't! I promise I'll be good!" his voice was small, begging for her to comply.

"Ethan I said no. Now go back to your room and stay there!" she grew frustrated with his whiny tone.

"But momma please! You never let me play with the other kids...I'm always alone." tears ran like rivers down his small face. He buried his face in his small hands, sobbing and hiccuping.

Lila put down her work and stomped over to the sniveling boy. She forcefully took hold of his arm and began to drag him towards the basement.

"Mommy please no! Not there it's dark in there!"

"Be quiet!" she opened the door and threw him carelessly down three steps before addressing him, "Ethan you stay in here. You don't come out and you never leave this house. Do you understand me?"

"Momma it hurts me, I'm hurt." he whimpered holding his bruised side.

"Good! Maybe that will teach you to listen to your mother!"

Lila took no care in slamming the door shut and unceremoniously throwing the bolt forward. The click signaled to the trembling child inside that there would be no escape from the cold of the basement floor.

He curled up into a ball, and wept. His tears gathered in a small pool around him as he wondered what he did to deserve this.

_Why is momma so mean to me? _ He thought miserably, _Why does she hate me?_

After a short while of self loathing, Ethan strained to hear anything from inside the house. He could hear the muffled sound of the front door open as his brother come inside. His hero.

"Momma?" a small voice asked, "What happened? I heard yelling."

"Nothing dear," she smiled sweetly, "your brother and I were just talking is all. There is nothing to worry about my perfect child."

Ethan could hear her emphasize the word perfect, almost as if she meant for him to hear it.

"Momma," Wesley's nine year old soprano became stern, "don't lie. You always say lying is bad."

"But momma isn't lying Wesley, cross my heart." she drew an 'x' over her chest, hoping that he would stop asking questions.

"Where is Ethan?" he could see her eyes suddenly become hard.

"He must be playing somewhere." her voice was tight, no longer trying to win over her favorite.

"Mommy stop lying! Where is my baby brother?" Wesley grew angry, he already knew where his brother was, but he wanted to hear his mother say it.

She gave up, "He is in trouble Wesley he tried to go outside again. You know I can't let him do that!"

Ethan's spirits raised as he heard the small footsteps of his brother nearing the prison where he sat in the cold, suffocating dark. His deliverance was so near. This always happened. His mother would throw him into this stupid room and Wesley would come save him. Then they would go play in Ethan's room. He shuttered with anticipation. A click sounded.

"Welsey don't you _dare_ let your brother out of there ! That despicable boy needs to learn his lesson!" she attempted to be intimidating.

Wesley continued on, knowing full well that there would be no consequence to his actions. He turned the knob and the door cracked open, light cutting through the darkness.

"Wesley Evans you get away from that door!" something in her voice made Ethan nervous. She hadn't been this angry about his freedom before.

He listened as her heavy footsteps came stomping down the hall. Closer and closer to his older brother. The next sound he heard made him freeze. His eyes grew wide when a clear, sharp _smack _rippled through the air followed by his brothers' crying and more smacks.

Ethan felt something snap in his head as he shot up from his position on the floor and ran towards the sickening sound. He emerged from his dark prison, witnessing his brother being punished unmercifully for attempting to free him. Lila had pinned Wesley down and was ruthlessly taking out her anger on his face.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Ethan roared, his mother froze in response. She turned, fear in her eyes as she looked upon the blade that protruded from her sons' arm.

"GET OUT! **NOW!"** Lila obeyed, and sprinted out through the door. She feared for her life.

Ethan stumbled towards his beaten brother, "Wes...Wes are you okay?" His tears dripped down onto Wesleys' face.

Wes cracked a smile, "I'm fine Ethan. I'm more worried about you. I know how afraid of the dark you are."

Ethan wrapped his arms around his brothers' neck and held him close.

"Wes I'm so sorry, this is all my fault! I shouldn't have asked to go play, I know I'm not allo-"

"Stop Ethan," Wes cut him off, "you did nothing wrong. You're fine."

"No I'm not!" He gripped Wesley tighter, "There is something wrong with me Wes."

The eldest pulled back and sat up onto his knees, staring straight into Ethan's eyes, his swollen face smiling through his obvious pain.

"Ethan you're the coolest person I know."

That did it. Ethan smiled through his tears, hugging his brother and burying his head into Wesley's chest.

Wes returned the hug before helping his brother up and holding him steady.

An idea began to form in Wesley's mind, a way to make Ethan feel better.

"Hey, come here Ethan," Wes started, "I wanna teach you something."

Wesley lead his trembling brother over to the grand piano that rested peacefully in the living room. He sat the small boy down on the bench, patting him on the back. Ethan stared up at his brother, a confused look plastered on his small features.

"But mommy says I can't play on your piano Wes. She says I'll break it." He hung his head in shame, remembering the first time he tried to touch the beautiful piano. She had beaten him until he passed out.

"Nonsense!" Wes stated as he opened the cover, revealing the polished keys. "You'll do fine." He gave Ethan a thumbs up before taking a seat next to him and pulling out a music book.

They slowly began to tease music out of the shining keys and humming strings. There they stayed all night, Wes teaching his brother the ways of expression through this mighty instrument, Ethan slowly beginning to understand. After Ethan had learned as much as he could for one night, they retired to Wesley's bedroom, neither one of them wanting to be alone tonight. Each second they were awake was another that thier mother could come back through those doors...they lay in the safety of each others arms and fell into a restless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Lessons

-The Next Day-

Ethan awoke to an empty space where his brother had lain the night before. _Where could he be?_

He voiced his concern, worried his mother might have come in the night and taken Wes away, "Wes?" he called, slightly afraid.

"I'm at the piano!" Wes's voice carried through the house, Ethan was instantly at peace, "Come over here Ethan there's so much more for you to learn!"

Ethan ran excitedly from the room and plunked down next to his brother on the bench. Today felt like Christmas for the small boy.

"Here." Wesley said before placing another music book gently onto the instrument. "Try and sight read this piece. It's called Mary Had a Little Lamb." The eldest boys' smile was warm, "Do you remember what I taught you last night about finger placement and reading notes?"

Ethan gave a small but confident nod before placing unsure fingers on the keys. Ever so slowly Ethan read through the piece, not a single flaw (other than perhaps that the tempo was way under what it should be).

"That was very good Ethan." Wes spoke encouragingly to his brother.

"I know that song brother...I think I heard you play it once." Ethan trailed off, recalling how his mother had encouraged Wesley to read the same song. After all, she was his teacher.

Wes's eyes turned slightly metal-ridden as he remembered the same day. His mother had forced him to sit with her at the piano and locked Ethan in his room so that he wouldn't be included in the musical right of passage that had been passed down from generation to generation in their family. Their entire ancestry was filled with musical talent, and she had planned to leave Ethan the only one without the ability to play. It sickened him to think that he was taking over where his mother should have been for Ethan.

"I remember it too baby brother." A smile returned to his features, "But I don't think I played it half as cool as you did."

Ethan beamed at the praise and continued moving through the beginners' music book. Page by page he slowly tackled each song, determined to learn. After he had gone through every tune, from Frere Jacques to Home on the Range, Wesley pulled out a small triangle that had a stick protruding from its center.

Ethan stared at it incredulously for a moment, then he took it carefully into his hands, treating it as if it were a robins' egg. He poked the stick to the side, wondering what it was and stared at it as it began to tick. He shoved it back into the hands of his brother before crying into his own hands, ashamed of himself.

"I-I'm sorry Wes," he said between sobs, "I didn't mean to break it!"

Wesley laughed and took his brother by the hands before showing him the trinket again.

"Ethan this is called a metronome. It's _supposed _to tick like this. It helps you stay in tempo so you don't slow down or speed up in the middle of the song." Wes smiled before placing the bobbing device onto the piano. "Now you go through all the songs again, but this time with the metronome. Stay in time okay?"

Ethan nodded and dried his tears. He turned to face the keys and flipped back to page one, promising himself that he would play each song without flaw.

Wesley let him be and made his way to the kitchen. It was already three o'clock in the afternoon and still their mother had not returned. He shrugged off his slight concern before looking into the fridge to find something to eat.

_Damn, _he thought to himself, _there isn't anything already made in here. _He groaned internally, _Guess I'm just going to have to learn._

After a short time mastering the simple songs before him, Ethan smelled something coming from the kitchen. He followed his nose just now realizing how hungry he had been. He came to find his brother standing on a step stool in front of the stove, scrambling eggs and wearing an apron.

Ethan couldn't help himself, he laughed out loud.

Wesley turned, startled to find Ethan rolling around on the floor laughing. _What's so funny? _He thought to himself. He looked down realizing that the apron he had picked randomly from the cupboard had the words _kiss the cook_ written in giant red letters all over it. It didn't help that there were red lip marks plastered after every word. His face flushed with embarrassment and he threw his egg covered spatula at his convulsing younger brother.

The boys stared at each other for half a second, but neither could hold it anymore. They both laughed at the moment, equal parts humor and nervousness. Neither had realized that they could do things without their mother around. It was liberating...but also carried along a feeling that made them anxious, as if they would be punished for some reason.

"Go sit down you ass," Ethan gasped as he heard his brother curse for the first time, "food is almost ready."

Ethan took his seat at the table and waited for his brother to come over with the hot pan. Wes scooped the eggs into Ethan's already set plate and then shoveled the rest onto his own. They both stared at the food, wondering if they should say grace.

"Pfft," Ethan noised boldly, "screw grace, let's just eat."

Wes chuckled at his brother's new-found sense of ease. They grabbed their forks and dug in, both brothers hearing and experiencing the same _**crunch**_ that sounded at their first bites. They stared at each other before bursting into laughter yet again.

"You cooked it with shells?" Ethan stared open mouthed at his brother, showing him the white bits that stuck between his teeth.

Wes chuckled, "I guess that _isn't_ how you're s'posed to do it."

"I think I should cook from now on," Ethan declared, "you kinda suck at it Wes."

"Well we all can't be as cool as you now can we Mr. 'I-can-cook-whatever.'" He stuck his tongue out at the smaller child before finishing his eggs out of spite.

Ethan laughed and followed suit, slightly enjoying the crunch for a reason unknown to him. He had always liked eggs, and he wondered what it would be like to swallow a raw one whole.

"Alright enough break," Wes said sternly, "do you have all those songs down?"

Ethan nodded excitedly before sprinting off to the piano in order to demonstrate.

Wes followed him down the hall, chuckling as he went. He had never seen Ethan so happy and care free.

* * *

**Well I hope y'all are enjoying this here thing so far. At this point, I'm really loving writing this. I've already written out most of the chapters in a journal and they will be coming in as fast as I want them to. This was sort of a feel good chapter, but always after a feel good comes a heavy. This next chapter is all from my imagination and isn't written out so I don't know what's going to happen next.**

**If you like what I'm doing or even if you don't some reviews would be highly appreciated. So far I know that two people are following, and I would like to say thank you so much! Also, soul eater fan and mangaanima I got my idea of how I wanted Wes to be depicted from 'By Ourselves'. I'm trying my best to work the brotherly love angle :D thanks for taking the time to review.**

**Kay, bye!**


	4. Chapter 4: Who Is That?

Wes took a seat next to his brother, waiting silently while Ethan prepared himself to play.

He took the metronome in his hands and started it, but this time he started it on purpose. He stretched his fingers, making Wes chuckle at just how serious Ethan was taking this. The eldest understood that this little performance was extremely important to his little brother, it was a first of many more firsts to come in the next few weeks that were ahead of these forgotten boys.

Suddenly the concert began, and Ethan played his little heart out not stopping until he had played the entire book without a single mistake. As the performance came to a close, Wesley began to clap. Stunned, Ethan sat there staring at him, a puzzled expression on his face.

Wes laughed in understanding, he had never been applauded before.

"That's called an applause Ethan." He smiled kindly to his brother, "It means you did a very good job. Whenever you are given an applause you have to take a bow."

"What's that? I don't want to get in trouble for taking anything Wes!"

He simply laughed again before standing and dragging Ethan with him.

"Now stand here with your left foot going like this-" he demonstrated that it should be at a forty five degree angle, "and your right foot like this." Wes placed the heel of his right foot in between the sole and heel of his left, and Ethan copied his movement, wiggling slightly at the lack of balance.

"Now put your left hand behind your back and bend over while bringing your right arm in front of you like this." Wes bowed like a perfect gentleman, a result of years of practice. Ethan again mimicked his brother, and swayed only slightly as he took his first bow.

Wes began to clap again, and Ethan took yet another grand bow. When he came back up his tiny face was filled with the addicting emotion that was joy.

_I don't think I've ever seen him smile like that. _Wes thought to himself, knowing full well the reason why. It was because of _her._

**Knock. Knock. Knock.**

The Evans brothers froze, hoping that they had imagined the sound that had just echoed through the house. The warm summer air turned cold and sour as yet again, three knocks rapped on the door.

Wesley slowly made his way to the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of who was there. The only relief he could feel at this moment came from the fact that he had remembered to lock the door the night before.

He inched his way closer to the blinds, not wanting to give away his position. He tried to peer through, but he couldn't see anyone...not even a shadow.

**Knock. Knock. Knock.**

Wesley jumped and Ethan's breath hitched in his throat. The boy was paralyzed with fear. He stood there not knowing what to do with himself, not even sensing that he should hide. He imagined the punishment that awaited him for threatening his mother. His unblinking eyes growing wider at the thoughts of what she would do to him once she got inside.

_No momma, please no..._ He was screaming in his head, but all anyone on the outside could see was a trembling boy who wasn't breathing.

The knocks changed. Suddenly there were two short ones, five longer ones, and three short ones to follow. Instantly Wes relaxed and opened the door.

_She scared me!_ Wes thought to himself, _I swore that it would be momma._

He smiled at the young girl that stood before him.

"Hey there Angela."

"Hi Wes! I heard all the music and clapping so I came over! How could you do a concert without me?" She pouted playfully, shoving Wesley out of her way as she moved with ease into the house. She stopped in her tracks as she spied a boy standing in the middle of the room, his eyes wide and pupils dilated with fear.

"Hey kid, who are you?" She asked, her hands behind her back as she stooped slightly to look him in the eyes, "Hey I said who are you? You look a lot like Wes!"

Wesley stepped towards his brother and gently took hold of his shoulders. He shook him slightly, willing him to come out of the trance he was locked in.

"It's okay Ethan," he whispered into the trembling brothers' ear, "It's not mom. She isn't here. You don't have to be afraid."

Angela watched in confusion as very slowly, this Ethan kid came to.

_How weird._ She thought to herself.

"Angela," Wesley turned back to his best friend and smiled, "meet my little brother Ethan. He's six years old, just like you."

Ethan blushed and put his head down, not knowing what to say. This was the first child other than Wes that he had ever come into contact with.

Angela walked up to the child and put a finger under his chin, pulling his face up to look into his eyes. She smiled.

"You seem alright," her sweet voice clearing the tension from the air, "YOU can call me Ann." she winked and Ethan smiled back.

She gasped.

_Oh no! _Ethan thought, _my stupid teeth._

He closed his mouth tightly and hung his head again, but quickly brought it back up with the help of a smiling Ann. Her grin was spread from ear to ear.

"Wow! Where did you get teeth like _that?_ That has to be the coolest thing I've ever seen!" She stuck his fingers into his mouth to better inspect his sharp chompers.

Wes breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that Angela would be able to see past what his mother could not. He chuckled as he watched her dig into Ethan's mouth who was groaning in protest, but there was no point. Wes had learned through experience that if Angela wanted something, she would get it no matter how many obstacles were put in front of her.

She suddenly stopped, apparently having had her fill of Ethan's pearly whites.

"Hey Ethan?" she said, staring him in the face, "Let's be friends okay?"

Ethan just stared at her. _Friends?_ He thought, _she wants to be friends with me?_

He jumped towards her and tackled her in a bear hug that he didn't even know he was capable of.

"Of course! Best friends!" He laughed and soon Ann and Wes joined in. It was a good day.


	5. Chapter 5: The Old Woman

"Hey!" Angela was struck with an idea, "Let's all go to my house! We can have a sleep over!"

They had spent the rest of the day together outside and playing games. They played tag, hide-and-go-seek, ring around the rosie, marco polo, and so many more games that Ethan had never even heard of. Wes had tried playing them with him before but Lila had always stopped him, insisting that playing be done outside which denied Ethan even the slightest chance of ever learning how to play.

Ethan was having the time of his life and didn't want this day to ever end. They were all laying in a soft patch of grass, listening to the sound of the falls that were only a five minute walk away. They stared at the stars, and Wesley couldn't help but ponder why he was so small and yet everything around him was so big.

"That sounds great Ann." Ethan wore a slight grin on his face, his eyes closed. He loved the feeling of being outside with the wind kissing his cheeks and the grass tickling his back. It was intoxicating.

"Are you sure that would be okay with your dad?" Wesley wondered allowed, "I've never slept over at a girls house before."

"Aww what are you chicken?" Angela challenged.

Wes cocked an eyebrow before rolling on top of her and pinning her to the ground. He laughed as she tried to struggle against his hold, but he was too strong.

"Now who's the chicken?!" Wes demanded, a smile on his face.

Angela stuck out her tongue at him before responding, "Still you." she alligator rolled away from his reach and jumped up only to tackle Wes to the floor. Ethan hadn't been paying attention until they rolled on top of him, crushing the small child with their combined weight.

Ethan shoved at them, which resulted in being pulled into the scrap. They were all laughing as they tackled each other and wrestled in the grass. This went on for several minutes before they all fell back, exhausted from the efforts to decide who the chicken was.

Panting, Angela addressed the boys, "So...are you...coming over or...what?" She awaited their response as she caught her breath.

Having already recovered, Wesley stood and helped both the younger kids to their feet.

"Yeah we'll go." He said, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "But only if you race us there!"

* * *

-Meanwhile, in a small village called Laketown a five hour drive from Windrake Falls-

"Mom I just don't know what to do!" Lila sighed tiredly, "It's been two days already since I left and I have no idea if Welsey is safe or not. But I can't go back...that..._abomination_ might have murdered the whole town by now!" She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as her mothers' stern gaze held her fearful one.

"Lila I thought I raised you better than this." Emily Marie sat down next to her daughter, "What kind of mother abandons her own children?"

"I know mom I can't stand the thought of leaving Wesley on his own but-"

"You aren't listening Lila I said _children._ As in plural. Wesley isn't your only son. You have _two of them_. I didn't even know that you had Ethan until you came to me yesterday in a flurry! You said that you had a miscarriage!" Emily Marie was working herself up into a rage.

"Momma I WISH that I had had a miscarriage! At least then I-"

Lila was interrupted again as a sharp **smack** rung through the air. She held her cheek in astonishment.

"Lila Evans don't you **ever** speak about your child that way again. You don't deserve to call those boys your sons, and they didn't deserve the years of torture I'm sure you've put them through." the elder woman sighed and looked away from her daughter in pain, "You are lucky to have two children Lila. You were my only child, and after you were born I couldn't give your father anymore descendants."

Lila stared at her mother, unsure of what to do.

"After so many miscarriages we finally gave up, but I knew that your father was disappointed that he would never have any sons to carry on his name."

"Mom I-"

"Lila listen to me." Emily Marie said sternly, she grabbed Lila's hands and stared forcefully into her eyes. "That boy _deserves _to grow up in a home where his mother loves him. Do you understand? He needs the love that you so easily deny him of and give to Wesley instead."

Tears welled up in Lila's eyes, "I know mom...I'm just so afraid of him. He's...so different and strange. The doctors have no idea how he can do what he does." she trailed off, her mind going to all the times she had taken him in for tests. Their hospital and town were far into the wilderness, cut off from most civilization and there was only so much that they could do, so much they could understand.

"You're just going to have to get over your fear Lila. That boy needs you."

Lila began to cry, tears rolling off her cheeks as she spat out, "But mom I can't! I can't suddenly stop seeing him for the monster that he is! The boy can turn his arm into a _scythe _for goodness sake! It's terrifying!" She slumped back into her chair and wept bitterly in her hands.

Emily Marie sighed, _I think it's time for a road trip. _She thought to herself.

"Lila. You're going to stay here for three weeks. Understand? I'm going to Windrake Falls to see for myself if this boy is truly the monster that you say he is. Come back to your home in three weeks. No more, and no less. " she stared at her pitiful daughter before hissing, "Got it?"

Lila nodded and went back to her pity party.

Emily Marie made her way to her room to pack what she would need for the trip.

_I don't understand why Lila has to be this way._ She pondered, _I thought I raised her better than this._

She grabbed her bags and headed out the front door. She climbed into her car and began the long journey to Windrake Falls.

* * *

**Authors' Note:**

**Hello again :) so in this chapter we get a glimpse at Granny. I've only read about her, but I couldn't find a name ANYWHERE so I've taken the liberty of coming up with one myself. If anyone has a problem with it I apologize, but I like the name that I've given her. It fits to me. **

**Thanks to those three people following me :D you guys are great and I truly hope you are enjoying the story. Right now it's the only thing that is keeping me busy and I love writing it.**

**Have a good one folks! I'll update as soon as I get inspired again (maybe in a few hours or so XD)**

**Also I changed the something about Angela's home life that I think I will like better. Instead of her having just a mom like the boys, she will have only her father**

**Kay, bye!**


	6. Chapter 6: New Territory

_Panting, Angela addressed the boys, "So...are you...coming over or...what?" She awaited their response as she caught her breath._

_Having already recovered, Wesley stood and helped both the younger kids to their feet._

_"Yeah we'll go." He said, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "But only if you race us there!"_

* * *

Three small children could be heard from the farthest corners of Windrake Falls, the water carried the sounds of their shrill screeches far and wide as they scrambled to Ann's house. Just as they were rounding the corner that would lead to their finish line, Wes on the way to a sure victory, Ann tackled the eldest Evans boy to the ground and Ethan took to the front. He sprinted with all of his might, and stole first place.

Elated and brimming with pride he turned to shout, whooping in Ann's front yard as the other two caught up; Ann in second and Wes in dead last.

"Wes did you see that?!" Ethan's big smile spread wider as he pumped a fist into the air.

Wes chuckled, "Sure did bro, that was pretty cool." he would never say it, but Wes was just a bit sore from his loss. He turned to Ann and stuck his tongue out at her.

"You're just mad cuz you lost to a girl _and_ your baby brother." She harrumphed, crossing her arms over her chest and throwing her nose into the air.

"Maybe you're right," Wes pondered, "or maybe it's cuz you cheated." He threw a wink in her direction before laughing at her reaction.

She had stuck her tongue out right back at him.

"Angela Carrie Cross what on earth are you doing shouting _and_ outside at this time of night?" a stern but slightly weary voice oozed from the suddenly open doorway. Light flooded the yard.

"Aww come on daddy I was just having fun!" she pouted and held her hands in front of her, wringing them in the most innocent way.

Her father sighed, the realization hit him long ago that he was wrapped around his daughter's little finger. There were no delusions between either of them about who was in control.

"Come on inside now Angela, you're going to catch a cold out there." He smiled at his daughter's sweet round face. Her long black hair flowed in the wind and even in this light her crystal blue eyes cut through the darkness. She looked just like him. It was then that he noticed the two figures that had remained in the shadows up until this point.

"Okay daddy." she smiled sweetly and grabbed onto the hands of the Evans boys to pull them in with her.

"Now wait just a second sweetie, what are you trying to do here?" He raised an eyebrow at the two boys. Instantly he recognized Wesley from the years and years of play dates...but he had never seen the smaller boy before. The resemblance between the two was striking.

"Oh...well, Mrs. Evans isn't in town so I told Wesley and Ethan that they could stay here!" Her big eyes stared cow like into her fathers.

_Ethan?_ The man thought to himself, _who is this boy?_

He squatted down to look the child in the eyes. _Spitting image of Charles, _he thought, _but Lila never mentioned another son._

Uncomfortable with the speculation that this stranger was putting on him, Ethan looked away.

"Mr. Cross?" The man turned to face Wesley, "This is my little brother Ethan. He is six years old. Today is his first day outside." Wes stared at him evenly.

A strange chill ran down the man's spine. Six years and this was Ethan's first day outside? How was this possible?

He turned back to the now trembling child, unsure of how to respond. Then he smiled and placed his big hand reassuringly on top of Ethan's silver hair. His quaking stopped.

_I'll ask questions later._ He thought to himself.

"Alright boys welcome to my home." He stood from his squatting position and opened the door wider, allowing Angela to pull the boys inside. The house was simple. The walls were painted white and the plush carpet was a rich brown, the floor looked almost like chocolate.

Ethan couldn't help but stare. The only house he had ever seen was the one he had been trapped in for his entire life. The sights were all new, and he reveled in the smallest details. He took in a deep breath, absorbing the scents and tasting the air. It smelled slightly musky, like the woods on a hot day...but he could also smell the clean of laundry soap and the enticing scent of something that had just been cooked. He rolled the sensations on his tongue and wiggled his toes into the carpet, determined to memorize this house.

The man watched as the child stood in the middle of the room, eyes closed and head tilted back slightly.

"Ethan?" he questioned, pulling the boy from his trance. "What are you doing?"

Ethan blushed, "Just...smelling."

_Strange._ The man thought.

"Hey mister?" Ethan asked.

"Hmm?"

"What's your name?"

"My name is Mr. Cross." He smiled slightly, "You can call me Grey."

Ethan smiled and gave a thumbs up, "Alright Grey."

"Why don't you go find your brother and Angela? I'm sure that they want to play some more games." Grey suggested, watching as the boy's eyes lit up.

"Okay! Thanks Grey!" Ethan sped off down the hall.

_Damn, that kid has some strange teeth!_ Grey thought to himself after barely concealing his surprise at Ethan's smile.

He walked over to the phone that hung from a wall in the kitchen and dialed a number lazily. He stared out through the glass sliding door that led to the back yard and listened patiently to the ringing, waiting for an answer.

_Hello, you've reached Lila, _a recording that he had heard many times, _I'm busy at the moment but if you leave a message I'll get back you as soon as possible. Thanks! Bye._

He waited for the shrill_ beep_ before speaking, "Hey Lila it's Grey. I've got your boys over at my place right now, they're fine but they tell me that you've gone out of town. Could you give me a call back? It's not like you to leave Wesley alone. I've got some questions for you." He put the phone back on the receiver and ran a frustrated hand through his thick black hair. He adjusted the glasses that sat on his nose and leaned back against the wall, wondering what he should do.

Grey listened to the kids playing down the hall and couldn't help but wonder where this Ethan kid had come from. His mind wandered to the day that Charles had disappeared...

_**"Hey what's up buddy?" Grey threw his arm around his best friend Charles and took another swig of his beer, "I've got some great news!"**_

_**Him and his wife were attending a monthly barbecue at the Evans house. Charles continued flipping the burgers and patiently awaited his friends' announcement.**_

_**"Carrie is pregnant!" He half shouted as a goofy smile stretched across his cheeks.**_

_**Charles turned to face him, eyes wide and a cheshire cat grin taking over his features.**_

_**"That's awesome man!" Charles exclaimed before slapping Grey with a perfectly executed high five.**_

_**Carrie giggled as she watched her husband.**_

_**After a few not so manly hugs and another high five, Charles pulled back, an excited glint in his eyes.**_

_**"Guess what Grey?" He poked his friend, not able to contain himself any longer, "Lila is pregnant too! That makes two Evans babies!"**_

_**This revelation was greeted with several whoops from the slightly tipsy Mr. Cross and more 'man hugs'.**_

_**Then a cell phone started to buzz from inside Charles' pocket, effectively cutting short another bro-fest. **_

_**"I've got to take this." Charles mumbled as he walked towards the house.**_

_**When he returned, a grim look had settled on his normally cheery expression.**_

_**"Sorry to cut this short everyone," He stared off at nothing in particular, "I just got called in from the office. They want me to go on a business trip as soon as possible."**_

_**An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Lila stood from her seat and stared at her husband, attempting and failing to see through his unreadable mask.**_

_**He turned on his heel and at that moment began to pack his things. He hugged his wife and child goodbye and shook both Grey's and Carrie's hands before leaving not a second later...**_

_That was the last time any of us saw him, _Grey thought to himself, _I could have sworn that Lila miscarried their second child..._

He breathed a sigh before resigning himself to kitchen work.

"Do you kids want anything to eat?" He shouted, hoping for a distraction from the confusing thoughts that threatened to emerge from the back of his mind.

He received three answers at once.

"Pancakes!"

"Ramen!"

"EGGS!"

He chuckled before getting to work, "Alright alright, your mix-matched meals will be ready soon!"

* * *

-Meanwhile, in Death City-

"Lord Death," a voice called from the last guillotine that stood as an entryway into the death room, "I'm here. Why is it that you called me?" A man covered in a thick black cloak made his way up the stairs and stood beside the leader of the Death Weapon Meister Academy. His arms and legs were wrapped in linen that extended to his hands and feet forming gloves and socks, and he wore a scarf over the lower half of his face. His hood shadowed his forehead, leaving his identity unreadable to those who did not already know him.

"Ahhh Meister Tsuri Kage," Death addressed the Meister in a voice that did not fit his stature, "It's soooooo good to see you again! How is your weapon? Hana Hikari the light cannon...right?"

"She is doing well for one that is so young. Her skills increase every day. We are close to creating a death scythe." His tone remained calm and neutral.

"Good good good! I'm glad that you two are making progress!" Death patted Tsuri Kage on the back.

Tsuri lifted his hands to his hood and pulled it away from his face, doing the same to the scarf and faced Lord Death, looking him in the eyes. His blonde hair shimmered in the light, and his purple eyes betrayed not a single emotion to the Shinigami.

"Why is it that you wanted to see me Lord Death?" He stayed unnervingly still, awaiting a straight answer.

Death laughed, feeling Tsuri's curiosity, "Right to the point then eh?"

Tsuri nodded in response.

"Well Tsuri, I have recently discovered some surprising evidence." He began, watching the Meister intently, "It seems your previous weapon was hiding something from us."

For a moment, a flash of pain jolted through the Meister's eyes as he recalled his first weapon. It disappeared quickly after, but not before Lord Death caught it.

"Dear Charles had a _family_ Tsuri. A family that I assume had no knowledge of who he really was or what he did for a living. He's been gone for six years now, and I have reason to believe that they still have no idea why." Death held up a picture for Tsuri to see. There Charles stood laughing, one arm wrapped around a woman, the other supporting a small child who sat atop his shoulder.

"Where did you find this?" Tsuri's voice was barely above a whisper.

"I was reorganizing a few storage rooms and found his old gear bag sitting in one of them. This was lying on top of everything."

"This boy looks exactly like Charles." Tsuri began to think out loud, wondering why Charles had never told him about this family. With pain leaking into his voice he asked, "Do you know their names?"

"Unfortunately I don't. There are absolutely no records of them here. I've triple checked." Death sighed. Charles was only one mission away from becoming a death scythe when he died.

Tsuri stared intently at the photo that was cradled in his hands. The woman had short spunky red hair and gray eyes. Her ears were littered with piercings and her crop top revealed a tattoo of the name Charles encircled with a barbed wire shaped heart.

"Tsuri I want you to find them." Death requested, "They deserve to know who Charles really was...and that he died a hero."

The Meister solemnly began to reattach his hood and scarf, hiding the pained look on his face.

"Not to mention the fact that his son may very well have to ability to become a weapon. If that is the case then he needs to be brought here where he can train. I doubt they know that there is a place for him in this world."

Tsuri nodded and made his way toward the guillotine filled hallway.

"One last thing before you go." Death held a hand on the young Meister's shoulder, "Don't let yourself fall back into the grief that almost consumed you years ago. Remember that it was not your fault."

Tsuri nodded and resumed his stroll out of the death room.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey y'all! Thanks to each of you for reviewing :D I love reading through them and picking up on what I need to improve on. **

**First of all I would Like to say sorry for the confusion if there is any. I decided as I was writing this that I wanted Ann to have just her dad instead of just her mom Like I had originally planned. I realized that at this point, Ethan has only ever had contact with a woman and not a man. I think it will be good for him to see how Grey works. **

**Granny will arrive in the coming chapter, no worries! That fiery ol' lady isn't going anywhere anytime soon.**

**Let me know what you think of Tsuri Kage :D. I tried to base his clothing style off of Mistigan from Fairy Tail if anyone wants to see a rough estimate of what his attire looks like. The only real difference is that the cloak completely covers whatever he wears underneath and there is a hood instead of a skin cap and headband. **

**For now I'm not sure what Hana Hikari looks like, but we'll all find out soon enough :) hope you all like this chapter!**

**Thanks!**

**Kay, bye!**


	7. Chapter 7: Granny?

_This road is too dark to be safe. _Emily Marie thought to herself as she maneuvered her small car on the only path that led to Windrake Falls. It was dirt, and unless you knew what to look for, the turn off onto this damn death trap was impossible to see.

Rabbits leaped out from no where, deer would dash in front of her headlights, and from time to time it seemed as though a tree would sprout from the ground directly in her path. It felt as though the road was telling her to turn back, to leave and never return. Of course, she couldn't do that; there was work to be done ahead and Emily was not about to let a dirt path dictate her actions. She drove on through the night that engulfed the woods surrounding her.

_I wonder what those two boys are like now, _she wondered to herself, attempting to take her attention away from the eerie feeling radiating from every tree trunk she could see. _It's been six years since I've seen Wes...not once have I even met Ethan._

She sighed and continued her drive. It was taking longer than she had expected.

_I wonder what he looks like, _her mind wandered again, _probably the same as Wesley. _

A few minutes later, the road began to even out. The path was wider, allowing her to relax and enjoy the rest of the drive. She had always loved taking long trips, ever since her husband passed away, all she had been doing was traveling. It may seem sad, but on her own she was finally able to do everything that she never could, starting with seeing the world. In all her travels she had come across a multitude of different kinds of people. Those whom she would forever hold near to her heart and those that she didn't particularly care for...but there were two people that she would always remember. A man in a black cloak and a purple haired woman.

She recalled what she had seen that day, even now attempting to brush it off as her imagination.

She had been visiting Venezuela at the time and decided to go for a walk through the expansive forest region. It was breath taking. As she walked, she found a small overhang which she sat under to enjoy her lunch. From here she could enjoy the nature around her without being seen by the small animals that captured her interest. She stayed absolutely still and watched as creatures ran all around, playing games with each other and foraging for food. Then from out of nowhere a man jumped down from the overhang that she was sitting under and landed facing away from her. He was carrying a massive...almost cannon over his shoulder. He slowly rose from the ground and began to walk away from her hiding place. She held her breath.

"Will you put me down already? We collected the soul and I'm tired of being in weapon form!" A metallic sounding voice came from his direction, but Emily could not see the woman who was speaking. She watched as the cloaked man set the cannon down, and her eyes widened in surprise as there was a small flash of light, and the cannon transformed into a young woman. She stood and stretched. She was wearing yellow shorts and long black socks with matching yellow and black shoes. She wore black leather gloves on her hands and a black leather jacket to match. Her purple hair was long and pulled back into a braid that hung just above her waistline.

Emily kept herself still, and held her breath as they continued to descend the small mountain they were on. They walked, the woman with her arm snaked through the mans, and then they were gone.

Ever since then, Emily had chalked the entire ordeal up to the fact that she was tired from hiking and delusional from the humidity, but now she wasn't so sure. If what Lila told her was true...then could Ethan be like that woman? Could there be more people out there that had the ability to become weapons? It made her head hurt thinking about it...but anything is possible. Right?

She pulled into the drive way of her daughters' home. Everything looked exactly how it did 6 years ago. The outside of the house was painted red, and the roof was gray. Emily chuckled, recalling how obsessed Lila and Charles had been about those two colors. They were exact opposites when it came to physical traits. Lila was born with her mothers gray eyes and red hair, and Charles had gray hair and red eyes. It was funny really. Everything they owned had been based on the color scheme of their genes. She approached the small home, and pulled out the key that she had taken from Lila before leaving her house in Laketown. She opened the door and stepped through the threshold. The floor was made of cherry wood and the walls were painted grey. The living room had white carpeting and a red couch pushed up against the back wall. The piano was sitting gracefully in the corner directly opposite of the couch. She continued walking and peered into the kitchen. It was a mess! The boys had learned to cook simple things but had no patience to clean up their messes in the past few days.

She made her way down the red carpeted hall and opened the first door to find Lila's master bedroom. A circular bed sat in the middle of the room, a red comforter thrown over the top of it. The carpet was-you guessed it-gray and the walls were painted scarlet. The obsession covered everything.

She moved on and opened the first door to find Wesley's room. Everything in it was lovely. A cherry wood bed frame with a white comforter and red pillows, a matching desk, nightstand, and dresser...but no Wesley.

_Maybe they are in Ethan's room..._she thought to herself.

She opened the next door and was surprised to find that not only was no one in it, but it was nothing like the rest of the house. Everything in it was white. A small mattress lay haphazardly on the floor. A tiny white throw covered it, but barely. There was one small chest sitting in the corner, and she opened it to find some clothes, most of them full of sloppy stitches to close up holes. She guessed that the sewing was done by Ethan. A tear ran down her cheek as she understood that these were all of Ethan's belongings. He had nothing else. Bile rose from the back of her throat as she thought of her daughter.

_Despicable._ How could any mother treat her own son this way?

The next thing she checked was the basement. She walked down the stairs carefully, not being able to see very well in the dim light. She felt her way around and noticed a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. The cord was high up, but she could barely reach it. She tugged on the chain and the light illuminated the room. She turned and stared at the wall beside the stair case. She held her hand up to her mouth to hide a gasp. There was old dried blood in random places down the stairs and at the foot of them. There were tally marks all over the walls, so many that she couldn't even guess the number. Tears flowed freely now as she imagined what had happened in here. A part of her knew that this room was for Ethan. The cord way too high for a child to turn on the light, blood from every time he had been thrown down those stairs...tallies for each time he had been locked in this room.

She couldn't stand it anymore and ran from the disgusting basement. She slammed the door shut and leaned against it, only now seeing the lock that had been hastily attached to the outside. It made her sick. She ran to the bathroom that was directly next to this prison and retched up all of the things she had eaten during the day. She stayed there for a while, unable to move.

After calming down, she slowly stood from her position near the toilet bowl and made her way back into the living room. She plopped on the couch wondering what she should do next. If the boys weren't here then where could they be? She sighed and decided she would have to go and ask the neighbors. It was already nearing midnight.

She walked outside and looked around, searching for any clues. She spotted a house across the way and a few houses over that still had lights on and decided that she would go there first.

* * *

_Phew! _Grey thought to himself, _taking care of three kids sure is a hassle._

He sunk down into his sofa and began reading a magazine. After he fed the rascals, they were left with more energy than he had hoped for, and it had taken them a solid hour to settle down enough to go to sleep. He had pulled out some old mattresses and laid them out next to Angela's bed for the boys to sleep on. After reading them a story and tossing blankets over them, he still had to clean the kitchen and put away all of the things the kids had selected to use in their games. It felt good to relax.

Grey let his mind wander back to Ethan. Why would Lila lie about him for so long? What was so wrong with this boy that she hid him from the world and kept him inside for his entire life? Nothing seemed wrong with him, truthfully.

His train of thought was interrupted by a soft knocking on the door. He looked over his shoulder into the kitchen and read the time on the stove. It was 12:01.

_Damn, _he grumbled as he forced himself from the couch, _who's here at this ungodly hour?_

He opened the door and was shocked to see a small woman standing in front of him. He knew that she was nearing fifty, but her presence radiated a youthful glow. Something about her looked familiar.

"Hello," she spoke, a dignified air hung about her, but there was pain in her strong voice, "My name is Emily Marie Cordelia. I'm sorry to bother you at this time, but I am looking for my grandsons. They don't seem to be home and I was wondering if you have seen them around anywhere? Their names are Wesley and Ethan Evans."

He immediately saw the resemblance. Same eyes as Lila. This must be her mother.

Grey smiled, "Hello Mrs. Cordelia my name is Grey Cross. The boys are in here, but they are fast asleep. Would you like to come inside?"

Relief washed over her. She found them. What luck that this was the first house she had come to?

He walked into the house and stood in the living room that was placed just beyond the entry.

Grey walked up behind her and gestured towards the couch, "Won't you please sit down? Would you like something to drink?"

"Whiskey if you have it." She groaned and let herself fall into the warm couch.

Grey chuckled at her choice and poured two deep glasses of the spirits.

He sat down beside her and took a long pull from his drink. Emily sat up and followed suit, not reacting as the familiar liquid warmed her belly.

"Thank you young man."

"Of course."

They sat in silence for a while, sipping their drinks in turn. Each wanting to ask a question, but neither comfortable with what the answer may be.

Emily broke the silence, "You're probably wondering why I'm here?"

"In a way," Grey spoke, "I wanted to know why Lila left and why she has a son that she never told me about."

She watched as he grimaced slightly.

"So I'm not the only one who found out about Ethan today." She sighed and began to tell Grey what had happened to make Lila leave. She explained to him the boys' condition and how it terrified Lila to almost insanity.

"Grey, how long have you known my daughter?" She asked once she was finished telling the story.

Grey took a healthy swig from his glass and wiped his mouth, anger in his eyes, "Since she moved to Windrake Falls. Charles and I became fast friends and my wife Carrie was very close to Lila. We were all friends." He almost spat the word.

"And this whole time you knew nothing of Ethan?"

He hung his head, almost in shame, "No. The day that Charles disappeared he told me that Lila was pregnant, but she told me that she miscarried their second son. I just met him today."

"Grey I think there is something you should see. Follow me."

Emily lead him outside and Grey locked the door before following her to the Evans house. He hadn't been inside for six years.

_Huh. Not so much of a coincidence I guess. _He thought.

As they neared the front door, Emily turned to face Grey.

"Now what you're going to see is...disturbing. Please try to prepare yourself."

He nodded and they made their way into the house. Lila would never be the same in their minds after tonight.


	8. Chapter 8: A Budding Life

**First, before we begin I would like to say thank you to everyone that has reviewed my story, everyone that follows it, and all who clicked that favorite button for Unanswered Questions: The Tale of Soul Eater. I love writing it and I hope y'all enjoy reading it. **

**Now, for this chapter and from here on out the story will be told from the perspective of Ethan Evans. I may or may not do chapters in the future from Lila's perspective, Tsrui's, Wes's, or any other main plot developing characters but for now we are seriously going to dive right into the six year old mind of Ethan. We will stay in third person so that I can keep the innocence going. My writing style is too mature to be from the perspective of a six year old, but fear not! Once Ethan comes of age I will immediately go into first person. Please review and as always, enjoy!**

**Kay,bye!**

* * *

Ethan woke up the next morning to the smell of something amazing. It wafted under the door of Ann's room and made his mouth water.

_Bacon_, he thought hungrily.

Slowly he inched himself from the mattress that Grey had laid out for him the previous night and pulled the warm thick blanket around his tiny body, determined to stay warm. The window was kept open through the night in order to help circulate the air, and it had taken two comforters and a throw to keep Ethan sufficiently heated.

He made his way over to where Wesley had fallen asleep and gently shook him awake.

"Wes." he muttered groggily, "Wes it's time to wake up. There's bacon..."

At 'bacon', Wesley shot up from the bed and wasted no time in running from the room to where the greasy meat awaited.

Ethan watched his brother and laughed. He was so silly when it came to food.

Next on Ethan's list to awaken was Ann. He cautiously approached her bedside and poked her arm.

"Ann?" his voice was soft and curious, "Ann it's time to wake up."

She had been facing away from him, but her unconscious mind decided to make her body roll over. Her face was now inches away from Ethan's.

He squeaked in surprise and jumped back, he hadn't expected her to move. Regathering his courage, he approached for a second time.

"Ann." He shook her small shoulder lightly, not wanting to hurt her, "Wake up."

She groaned and rubbed her eyes. Confusion dusted her features until she realized where she was. She smiled and sat up to stretch, sighing with satisfaction as a small crack rippled down her spine.

She yawned, "Hey Ethan." Her smile was contagious, and Ethan couldn't help but smile back.

"Hey Ann. I think breakfast is ready if you're hungry."

"Oooooooh something smells really good." Her nose tested the air as she hopped out of bed. "Race ya!" she cried before breaking into a headlong sprint for the door.

Ethan stood dumb-founded for a moment, but recovered soon after. He dropped the blanket that had been shielding him from the morning breeze and took off right behind Ann.

With her head-start, the end result was inevitable. Of course she would win, but even knowing that Ethan was determined to at least go down with a fight. He ran the few yards to the kitchen and caught up to Ann at the last second, and just as it looked like he had a chance in beating her...he slipped on her teddy bear that she had conveniently dropped directly in his path. He stumbled forward as she leaped onto her chair, laughing at her handiwork.

Ethan groaned as he stood, rubbing his head.

"Hey, that's cheating." He whined, sticking his tongue out at her.

"It is not!" A pout wormed its way across her face, "Mr. Bubbles just wanted to say hi."

Ethan laughed and plopped down next to Wesley who was eagerly awaiting his breakfast. The table sat in between a small wall that separated the kitchen and the dining area, and the sliding glass door that lead to the backyard. Ethan stared at the lovely green grass that swayed gracefully in the wind. The Cross family had such a lovely home. An unfamiliar warmth spread through his body.

Home.

He had never truly understood what it meant until now. Looking around, he knew that _this_ was what a home was. Not a place to live but a place where one could be accepted for whomever they chose to be. He sighed at the happy thought.

Suddenly a big plate full of tasty looking breakfast was staring up at him, effectively closing his mind from any thoughts other than the glorious meal that awaited his attention.

"Thanks Grey! You're the best!" Ethan smiled up at the man, giving him a thumbs up.

He only chuckled in response. Ethan looked up and saw something strange tugging at the corners of Grey's eyes. He looked tired? No...more like sad. The boy tilted his head in question, only to see the strange look disappear suddenly. Grey smiled, and Ethan shrugged it off.

_That was weird. _He thought to himself.

As the children began devouring their meals, silverware clinking on the china plates and laughter filling the room, Ethan heard small footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Hey Grey, who's here?" They all stopped eating.

"What are you talking about Ethan?" Wesley questioned, "I don't hear anything."

Ethan looked expectantly at Ann who merely shrugged her shoulders and shook her head in response.

"I know I heard something." Ethan scratched his head and sniffed, detecting a new smell.

"I know someone is here." He moved to push away from the table when a voice came from around the corner.

"No you're right dear, someone is here." An older woman was smiling at them from the end of the hall. There was something familiar about her, but Ethan couldn't place what it was. He sniffed again...there was nothing familiar about her smell so what was it?

Ethan felt himself jolt in surprise as Wesley jumped from his chair and scrambled over to the woman who was waiting with open arms.

"Grandma!" He cried out, and Ethan knew why she looked so familiar.

It was her eyes.

A chill ran down his spine as he watched the woman pick up his brother and spin him around, wide smiles on both of their faces. Ethan began to tremble, as his usual terror slowly sank back into his system. He watched as she walked over to Ann, not able to hear anything but his own fear as she introduced herself to his new friend.

_Is she going to be like momma...?_ He sat frozen, and she approached.

"Don't touch me." Ethan muttered defensively as she drew nearer.

The air was still as the room held its breath. Even Wesley hadn't been expecting such a sinister voice to leak from his baby brothers' mouth.

The woman knelt down to be eye level with the boy.

"Alright, I won't touch you if you don't want me to." Her voice was sturdy, but not hard.

Ethan slowly turned his head and looked into her eyes. The gray color was the same as his mothers'...but there was something different in them.

"What's your name?" Her head tilted to the side.

"I..." He was unsure. This woman made him nervous.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me, but I would really like to know."

Something about her expression made Ethan calm again. He could see that instead of the usual steel and fear he received from those gray eyes, there was unbridled compassion and understanding.

"My name is Ethan Evans." His voice was small, still guarded, but the room breathed again when he answered.

"It's very nice to meet you Ethan." Her impossibly wide smile grew wider still, "My name is Emily Marie, but you call me Granny mkay?"

Ethan flinched when her hand came close to him. He was expecting a slap and held up his hands instinctively to defend himself, but when he looked back it was hanging in the air, waiting for his own to join it. After a long moment of hesitation, he gingerly pressed his small palm into hers. It was soft. They shook, and then she let go and stood.

"Well with introductions out of the way, we can eat!" Granny sat herself down next to Grey, and conversations began again. Ethan slowly finished his breakfast, careful to watch every move this 'Granny' person made.

_Why is she here?_ He couldn't comprehend her sudden appearance. _Is she going to be here for a long time?_

* * *

After everyone had cleaned their plates of pancakes, eggs, bacon, ham, and potatoes, Grey and Granny collected the plates. Ethan watched as they were carried to the kitchen and set in the sink. He observed that when Granny began to wash, Grey held up his hand and silently took over. They smiled at each other and Granny nodded in thanks.

_Why would he want to do the work? _Ethan wondered curiously. He noted how quickly Grey washed, and which tools he used. A bottle filled with green liquid that he had seen his mother use, and a sponge to wipe away the grime. He saw steam coming from the sink, and assumed the water must be hot.

He hadn't noticed that Granny was sitting beside his seat at the table until she spoke.

"So." He jumped and swiveled around to face her, "What do you want to do today Ethan?"

His breath hitched in his throat, uncomfortable with how close she was. He scooted as far as he could away from her without falling out of his seat. He mumbled something unintelligible, and then looked away.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" She asked.

"I said I want to play piano with Wesley." He kept his gaze on the floor, his small hands balled up in fists.

"Well that sounds just fine to me." Her smile was genuine, but he wouldn't look at her, "How long have you been playing?"

"Three days." He said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Granny nodded curtly.

"Wesley!" she called the eldest brother who had been playing with Ann in the living room, "Why don't we go home now?"

"Aww do we have to?" His head popped up over the couch.

"Yes dear I'm afraid so," a permanent smile was on her face, "your brother wants to play piano with us!"

"No, just Wesley." The small boy muttered, "You can't come."

Her gaze shifted over to Ethan who was staring defiantly at her, testing to see what her reaction would be.

"Well alright then." Her smile never faltered, "You two go home and practice and I will go to the store. There are some things I need to pick up." She rose from her seat and started towards the door. "Wesley walk your brother home alright? I don't know when I'll be back. If i'm not there before dark come back here and stay the night okay?"

Wesley nodded.

Just as she was about to leave, she turned back, "Oh! and Ethan dear?"

He looked up.

"What are your favorite colors?"

_Huh._ He thought, _no one's ever asked me that before..._

"Uhm..." He scratched his head and rolled the question around in his mind before answering, "Red and black."

"Okie dokie!" Granny called, and then she was gone.

_That was weird._ Ethan hopped down from his chair and over to where Wes was waiting for him.

"Ready to go?" Wesley smiled down at Ethan.

"Yeah." There was no more tension in Ethan's voice, only excitement.

"Thanks again Grey! Bye Ann!" Ethan called. And then the two boys raced home, both eager to get back on their instrument.

* * *

"Excuse me, I'm looking to buy a few things for a bedroom, do you think you could help me?" Granny asked an employee.

Shortly after she had left the Cross home, she climbed into Grey's truck (which he had loaned her) and made the long journey to the nearest city. It was an 8 hour drive.

"Of course ma'am." The young lady smiled, "What were you looking to purchase?"

"Paint, a bed frame, a dresser, a nightstand, a mattress, a desk, a comforter, some sheets, some pillows, and toys." She ticked off each item with a finger as she went through her mental checklist.

"Wow sounds like you have some redecorating to do!" The chipper voice of the employee didn't get on Grannies nerves as they chatted.

"You have no idea."


	9. Chapter 9: Men?

"Hey Grey," Wesley called from the doorway of the Cross house, "we're back!"

The boys had spent the entire day practicing the piano, and when Granny had not returned from the store before dark, Wesley dutifully fulfilled his obligation to his grandmother.

"Well hey there boys." Grey smiled at them from the kitchen. He had hung up the phone he was using just as they stepped in the door.

Ethan smiled and immediately plopped himself down on the couch that was just begging to be laid on. He sighed and curled up with a pillow.

Ethan heard Grey chuckle from behind the couch, and listened carefully as footsteps approached. He squealed when he felt Grey hop over the back of the couch and sweep him up into his arms.

"How was your day kiddo?" Grey asked, a smile playing on his features.

"It was great Grey! Wesley's teaching me how to play even harder songs than I already know how."

At this point, Wesley had joined them on the couch. Ethan was sitting comfortably in Grey's lap, and he watched the man put his arm around Wes' shoulders.

"Is that so?" Sitting so close to Grey's chest, Ethan could feel the rumbling voice that had a calming effect on him.

_I wonder if this is what it's like to have a dad. _He thought before snuggling closer and looking up at Mr. Cross.

He had that same look in his eyes from earlier...they were sad.

"What's a matter Grey?" Ethan wondered aloud.

"Oh it's nothing."

"You can tell us." Wesley chimed in.

Grey chuckled, "It's nothing boys, really. Everything is fine." He smiled and hugged them both for a moment, "Why don't you see what Angela is up to? She's been so bored without you two harassing her."

Wesley was the first one to get up, and his younger brother watched him leave. Ethan remained in the safe haven of Grey's arms.

"Hey Grey?" His voice squeaked out.

"Yeah?"

"What's it like to have a dad?"

_There's that look again. _Ethan observed every change in Grey's emotions as he answered.

"Well..." He started slowly, not sure how to answer, "It sort of feels...like a balancing act."

Ethan continued to stare, waiting for the explanation.

"You do what you're told, and he silently supports you. He's in charge and there's no getting around that, but he gives you room to be yourself. If you ever need his help he'll be there. Even if you betray him he'll be there. He might get mad and you might be punished from time to time...but always he loves you."

Ethan nodded slowly, the gears grinding in his mind.

"That kind of sounds like Wesley." He looked up to find Grey laughing. His small chuckles turning into an uncontrolled guffaw.

"What are you laughing at Grey?"

"Oh it's..*chortle* nothing." He attempted to regain control. Taking a deep breath, he answered, "It's just that you two have both grown up without a father and wouldn't know the first thing about parenting. But now that you mention it, yeah. Wesley has been sort of a father figure to you lately."

He smiled down at the boy.

"Why don't you go and play with them. I'm sure they're waiting for you."

"Okay!" He smiled and ran down the hall. All day he had been waiting to come back over and play with Ann. He had been dreading his grandmother's return, but when she never showed up he had all but sprinted back to the Cross household. This was home.

"Hey guys." He waved at them before entering Ann's room and plopping himself down on the floor. "What are we playing today?"

Ann looked up from her barbies and smiled at him. Wesley stood and made his way to her bed.

"We're going to play doctor!" She threw her hands over her head in excitement and grabbed him by the wrist.

"Gyahh!" Was all he could say as she pulled him effortlessly across the room. She set him down by the bed and observed Wesley who was pretending to sleep, already knowing that he would be the patient first.

"Nurse! Hand my my listening necklace!" She held out her hand to Ethan who stared up at her in confusion.

"Nurse! This is no time to be stupid! This man could die now hurry and do as I say!"

_Wesley could die? _Ethan was so confused. He looked from his brother to Ann before standing and whispering in his brother's ear.

"Wes are you gonna die?"

His brother cracked open one eye slightly and giggled, "I might if you don't help the doctor. Just do what she says okay?"

"Okay." He turned back to Ann, "What's a listening necklace?"

"It's a thingy that helps me hear what's wrong with the patient!" She pointed to her toy chest, "All the medical supplies are in there."

Ethan nodded and opened the pink toy chest. _Okay, she's a doctor. I know doctors. _He thought to himself as he dug through the assortment of toys, _they always have that thing around their necks, is that what she's talking about? _He continued mining for this 'necklace' while Ann busied herself with getting into her doctor costume.

Ethan finally found something that looked like what those doctors had around their necks, but it was different. This one was pink and the circle on the bottom wasn't cold like the ones he was used to. He continued looking for things she might need and shuddered at his next discovery. A syringe that looked too much like the painful needles that used to be stuck into his arms once every week. He set it aside and went deeper into the chest to pull out a box of bandages, a tube of gauze, a bandage wrap, a thermometer, and at the very bottom he discovered a patient gown and snickered.

"Okay doctor, I found all these things we can use to help the patient." Ethan began to relax and enjoy the game, "But I think that he should put this on." He held up the gown and Wesley peeped at what was being presented to Ann.

"Oh good idea! Wake him up then!"

Ethan shook his older brother who sat up and faced them.

"Here you go patient!" Ethan chuckled, "Go and take off your clothes and put this on."

Wesley blushed before crossing his arms over his chest and huffed.

"I'm not taking off my clothes." He turned his head away from his brother.

"Doctor's orders." Ethan shrugged, knowing full well that no one could deny Ann what she wanted.

Wesley gulped, but his resolution remained firm. "No."

Ann pouted from behind Ethan, and put her hands on her hips.

_He's going to get it now! _Ethan was enjoying his brother's embarrassment as he watched Ann whisper something in Wesley's ear. His brother smiled and snatched the gown.

_Wonder what she told him. _

Ann just smiled and they waited for Wesley to come back.

He climbed back onto the bed and stared at the doctors, ready to get started.

* * *

After a few hours of operation, all three of them stumbled from Ann's room covered in bandages and wraps. Ethan had discovered what Ann whispered to Wesley after they finished taping up his older brother. Ann had promised to get Ethan to wear the gown completely naked underneath. They were forced to tackle Ethan to the ground in order to get the thing on him and the rest of his clothes off, but they did it. Ethan wasn't all too pleased with the outcome, and he sat brooding the entire time, but after his treatment, Wesley and Ann agreed to let him be the lead doctor instead of the nurse in Ann's operation. He was happy after that.

Ethan knew they looked like mummies coming down the hallway, and he couldn't help but roll over laughing when he saw the look on Grey's face as they hobbled down the hall. He looked terrified. All three of them were in a fit of laughter at Grey's expense, and they continued their antics until he recovered. Distracted by their humor, they hadn't realized that Grey was now over them until it was too late.

Suddenly they were being tickled to death.

"AHHHAHAHA! GREY STOP IT!" Ethan begged as he writhed on the floor in tears. This was his first experience with a tickle monster.

Mr. Cross was alternating between the three of them, never giving any one of them the chance to recover enough to escape. After a few more minutes of torture, Grey slowed his movements, leaning back to catch his breath. Ethan took the opportunity and pounced on the vulnerable prey before him, wiggling his fingers around Grey's rib cage, attempting to tickle him back. When there was no movement on the receiving end of his attempts, Ethan looked up confused.

"Hey no fair!" He whined, "How come you aren't laughing?"

"That's because I'm a daddy Ethan," a smirk pulled from the corners of Grey's mouth, "Daddies aren't ticklish."

Ethan sat back with a pout. He sniffed in contempt but his entire demeanor shifted when he inhaled the scent of whatever was waiting in the kitchen. Ann and Wes had realized that there was food as well, and they all turned to look at each other.

"FOOD!" They screamed in unison as they scurried to the dining room table, eagerly awaiting the delicious smelling meal.

Grey chuckled and patiently began scooping out the stew from the pot that was simmering seductively on the stove. Ethan watched in fascination as Grey effortlessly carried all four bowls into the dining room at the same time. One in each hand and one balancing on each wrist. The boy couldn't believe how gracefully this man moved. It was almost unreal, had it been him attempting to carry those bowls, he wouldn't have made it two steps before the hot mess crashed down on his head.

As soon as a bowl was placed in front of him, Ethan began slurping and sloshing to his heart's content, not aware of the world around him. He didn't stop eating until he had his fill of three helpings. Grey's cooking was just so _good. _

_Maybe he could teach me. _He thought to himself, smiling at the idea.

Ethan grabbed his dirty dishes and carefully placed them into the sink, remembering all too well the lesson he had learned the last time he had carelessly tossed his dishes into the water. He shuddered at what he could recall, deciding it best that he couldn't quite see it all.

He was pulled away from his thoughts by the sound of something almost...humming...in the living room. He froze and closed his eyes to listen. It was music! Of that much he was sure, but it didn't sound like a piano. It sounded more...raw. He slowly approached the sound, afraid that if he came to close it would disappear. He discovered Grey on the couch, sitting with a wooden _thing _in his lap. It had strings that looked like piano strings on it and a big hole on the front. Grey was swiping at the strings with his fingers and making beautiful sounds with it. Ethan plopped cross-legged on the floor, enjoying the sounds eminating from the glorious object. Then it stopped.

"What are you doing Ethan?" Grey questioned, amusement plain in his voice.

"Just listening..." He trailed off with a blush.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

Ethan shook his head.

"It's called a guitar. It's a different kind of instrument."

Ethan thought for a moment before responding, "So you mean there are more instruments? More than the piano?"

"That's right," Grey smiled, "here why don't you try?"

He hesitated for a moment, but stood and sat down next to Grey. The others had joined and were watching expectantly. Wes and Ann had both received guitar lessons from Grey before, and it was almost like an initiation to the family. They shared a smile and waited for the lesson to continue.

After placing the big guitar correctly into his grip and settling himself on the couch, Ethan attempted to curl his fingers around the place that held the strings.

"That's called a fret board." Grey said, almost reading Ethan's thoughts.

"Hmm," Grey held his chin for a moment, "you wait here. I'll be right back."

Ethan stared after him, curious as to what he was up to. He heard a small chuckle behind him and caught the smiles that he was receiving from Wes and Ann. He tilted his head quizzically in response.

"Here try this. It should be your size."

Grey handed him a smaller guitar. It wasn't toy size, just a mini, and when Ethan took a hold of it and placed it in his lap like he had the previous one, he discovered it was much more comfortable. He small fingers wrapped easily around the fret board and he let loose a small smirk of triumph.

Eventually the other two went and grabbed a few more of Grey's extra guitars and sat in on the lesson. After all, it had been a while since they had brushed up on their skills.

They stayed that way the rest of the night. It was close in resemblance to the first night the Evans brothers had been alone, but this time Ethan felt even more happy. He felt like he was part of a family.


	10. Chapter 10: A Grandmother's Touch

**Helpful Tips: There will be a little bit of music type language in this chapter. Let's start with the simple stuff. On a guitar there are six strings and each string plays a certain note when open. (Open meaning there are no fingers on the fret board) The order of those notes are EADGBE starting from the top string and going down. The top string is the thickest and from there, the strings get smaller as you continue to go down. Most of the time, guitar strings are made of coiled metal which causes blistering because of the constant pressure needed to push down on the strings and play different notes. Each string can play a lot of different notes but there are only 7 different names for notes. ABCDEFG. There are of course many octaves and each string can reach higher octaves than the last. The frets are numbered from 1 to wherever they end. On my guitar I have 18 frets so they are labeled 1-18. They are labeled this way so that when I am learning a new song or chord, I know where to put my fingers.**

**Say I am told E3 A2 D0 G0 B3 E3. This means to put a finger on the 3rd fret of the E string, a finger on the 2nd fret of the A string, leave the D and G string open, then a finger on the 3rd fret of the B string, and finally a finger on the 3rd fret of the E string. This would play a GM chord.**

**Moving on. A chord progression is well, a progression of chords. It must have more than one to be considered a progression, but there really isn't a limit on how many chords there can be in a progression**

**Names of chord progressions: Well I don't really want to go into detail about how they get their names, all you really need to know is that each chord sounds different when played because in order to get a new chord you have to hold down different strings in different places all along the fret board. Also, a capital M means that the chord is major. This means the chord sounds 'happy' or there is no dissonance. So if you see FM that means F Major chord. A lower case m means that the chord is minor. The chord sounds 'sad' and there is a dissonance. So if you see Em that means E minor chord. If there is nothing next to the chord you can assume that it is a major chord.**

**Picking is when you use your fingers or a pick to play individual notes or a melody by 'picking' the strings at different times instead of strumming all of them at once like when playing a chord. To 'bar' a fret means to put the index finger down on a single fret and cover all six strings to raise the pitch of them. For instance in an FM chord, you would bar the first fret and then place the rest of your fingers where they need to be.**

**Okay I think that covers it. If there is anything anyone is still confused about, message me! I would be glad to help you understand. Trust me when I say that speaking music really is like speaking another language. Especially when we get into music theory XP**

**Also, when they start watching the movie, the 'sound' that is described is the oboe solo at the beginning of the film. Those of you who have seen the movie will know. If you haven't seen it then look up 'This is Halloween' or 'Opening scene to Nightmare Before Christmas'.**

**To be safe, I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THIS. ESPECIALLY NOT THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS OR OINGO BOINGO. HOW COULD I EVEN CLAIM THAT I AM ON THE SAME LEVEL AS TIM BURTON OR DANNY ELFMAN. IT JUST ISN'T POSSIBLE.**

**Finally, after using google search to determine Soul's birthday I have found countless times that it is June 1 1996, so that is what I'm going with. The story IS set in America so everything that has happened in real life I'm going to assume has happened in his world as well. If I bring up artists or movies or events or anything else just go with it X) thanks!**

**As always,**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_They stayed that way the rest of the night. It was close in resemblance to the first night the Evans brothers had been alone, but this time Ethan felt even more happy. He felt like he was part of a family._

* * *

-Meanwhile, on the small road back to Windrake Falls-

_Damn, _Granny thought as she swerved to avoid yet another tree that threatened to halt her mission, _this road gets worse and worse every time I have to drive on it._

She groaned as woodland creatures darted out in front of her, telling herself that it was almost over, she was almost there. The massive pile of things crammed in the scant backseat and bed of the truck she was driving shifted with every swerve and she was afraid that everything would fall and be destroyed before she could reach the Evans household.

But her worrying was for naught, for she made it back with everything still intact. By the time she arrived at the house, it was already dark. She knew that the boys would already be at Grey's and smiled.

_Perfect. _She pumped a fist in the air and whooped lightly before grabbing handfuls of supplies from the truck and racing into the dark house.

* * *

-Back at the Cross household, 5 a.m.-

Ethan couldn't help but want to practice more. Last night had been such an amazing experience, and he was determined to become as good at guitar as Grey was. He sat in the backyard, happily strumming some simple chords that Grey had taught him the night before. He went through the names of each of the strings in his head, remembering the silly acronym that Grey had repeated over and over to help him memorize them.

_Okay starting from the top, _He laughed, _Eddy Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddy. EADGBE. _He strummed each string as he thought of their name. Grey had tried to teach Ethan something called picking last night and had given him a small plastic tear drop thing to help, but Ethan preferred to use his fingers. After maybe a half hour of not being able to 'pick' Grey moved to something more simple, a chord...

_What was that thing he called it? _Ethan scratched his head trying to recall the name for moving chords. _Progression? Yeah that's it. A chord progression._

His nimble fingers were beginning to blister from the strings, but he worked through the pain. Grey told him that the blisters would callous and then the pain would go away if he practiced. So that's what he did.

Em-C-G-D

He practiced the progression until he could do it without looking at the fret board and then moved on to the next.

G-D-Em-C

After a few more minutes of working through the simple chords, he switched to the hardest one he had learned.

Am-C-D-F

This one was tricky because the F Major chord on a guitar required Ethan to push down his first finger on all six strings and then place the rest of his fingers on different frets. It was like acrobatics for his small hand. After much time spent mastering this progression, Ethan heard the back door slide open.

"Ethan?" Wesley called from the patio.

"Yeah what's up Wes?" Ethan hadn't turned around, he was focused.

"How long have you been out here?" Wesley gripped his forearms, shivering from the breeze that was passing through.

"I'm not really sure," Ethan looked up from the strings to find Wesley standing in front of him, "what time is it?"

"It's almost eight o'clock Ethan." Wesley sat Indian style in the grass next to the rock that his younger brother was perched on.

Ethan laughed, "Then I've been out here for almost four hours."

Wesley went wide-eyed. "Four hours? Jesus Ethan you're gonna get sick!"

"Pft no I'm not." He turned up his nose defiantly. His self confidence had grown in the past few days, and even he was not used to it yet.

"Alright come on we're going in the house." The elder's voice was stern. He left no room for questioning.

Ethan merely huffed and settled further into the rock that he had been sitting on since before the sun came up.

"Now Ethan." Wesley crossed his arms and tapped his toe, impatiently waiting for his brother to move.

Ethan cracked open an eye and saw the look on his brother's face, wisely deciding to listen to his elder.

With a sigh, Ethan lowered himself from the rock and put the guitar into his brother's waiting hand.

"Thank you." Wesley nodded in gratitude before leading the way back into the house where they were swallowed by warmth. Ethan sighed with relief at the warm air that was chasing away the chill, but stopped it short when he saw Wesley's knowing smirk.

"Hey boys." Grey grunted casually from the kitchen, "Breakfast is ready if you're hungry."

Ethan's stomach growled expectantly and Wesley laughed. They climbed up onto their seats near Ann and waited for their meals.

It didn't take long and gray piled pancakes onto each of their plates before setting the butter, syrup, strawberries, and whipped cream down on the table. Ethan licked his lips at the tasty looking flapjacks that seemed endless on his plate. A quick whiff made his mouth water.

"Grey?" Ethan asked as he slurped the drool back into his mouth. He turned to look at the man, "Are these...chocolate chip pancakes?"

Grey smiled, "That they are kiddo."

Ethan's eyes grew wide, not paying attention to Grey's chuckle as he stared down his breakfast, slurping again at the thought of delicious chocolate waiting in the fluffy heaven. He dug in without ceremony, drowning his hotcakes in a flurry of all of the available toppings. He was so distracted by his food, that he didn't hear the conversation Wes and Grey were having right next to him.

"So," Grey started, "I haven't heard back from your grandmother."

Wesley paused for a moment and took a thoughtful bite.

"She was out late." Wesley scratched his head, "Maybe she stopped somewhere?"

"Maybe." Grey put his head in his hands, worry making a crease on his brow.

Ethan continued to happily ravage his pancakes, paying no mind to the darkening humor of the rest of the room.

"Hey Ethan?" Ann tried, but to no avail. The boy was too distracted.

"Ethan." She said a little louder. Nothing.

"ETHAN!" She yelled at the boy who looked up suddenly, whipped cream covering half his face.

Ann held in a snicker, "Ethan do you know where Granny is?"

Ethan pulled his hands behind his head and sighed, "Sheesh, I dunno!"

He slowly moved back to his plate, aware that he was the only one eating. But of course, that wouldn't stop him. This meal was new territory and he wasn't about to let the chocolate that was coating his mouth get off that easily.

Grey stood from the table, "You all stay here. I'm going to go look for her. If anything happens, Ethan I'm counting on you to protect everyone okay?"

Ethan gasped. _He wants **me** to protect them?_ **ME?! **

Grey gave him a wink and turned to leave, "None of you are to leave this house until I return. Is that clear?" His voice carried the utmost authority. The children nodded meekly in response.

Then Grey was gone, leaving the kids to their own devices. Ethan swallowed up the rest of his pancakes and then put his dishes in the sink. He then waited for the other two to finish and took their plates. He pulled out a step stool from inside the pantry and started to wash the dishes, just as he had seen Grey do it the other night.

_Okay so first I fill the sink with hot water. Then I put them in, then the soap and the sponge. _Ethan made a quick mental check list of everything he needed to do and got started. The dishes were a good distraction from the worry that was beginning to occupy his mind. He wasn't all too concerned with that Granny person, but what if something happened to Grey?

He shook his head and continued to wash. When he was done he found Wesley and Ann sitting in the same positions that he had left them in. He slowly walked over to his brother and gave a light tug on the sleeve of Wesley's shirt. He watched his brother flinch slightly before turning to face him, a slow smile dancing across his face. Ethan stared, and he knew that it was fake. The look in Wesley's eyes screamed confusion, and Ethan was right there with him.

Ann jumped down from her perch, seemingly unaffected by her father leaving them alone, and wandered over to the television that sat in the living room. She turned it on and then skipped over to a shelf to rummage through the movies and then selected her favorite. The Nightmare Before Christmas.

"Hey guys!" He heard Ann call from the other room, "Let's watch movies okay?"

The boys looked at each other and Wesley smiled a real smile, grabbing Ethan by the arm to drag him over to where Ann was setting up bean bag chairs.

"Hey! I can walk on my own!" Ethan pouted, allowing himself a small smile.

"Yeah I know. Soooooooooo Ann?" Wesley turned to face the raven haired girl, "What are we watching?" A knowing smile played on his lips.

"Nightmare Before Christmas!" She squealed happily and spun in a circle. She crawled over to the entertainment system and began flipping switches that Ethan couldn't even comprehend. But suddenly a movie was coming to life on the screen, the volume was turned up loud, but not loud enough to make any neighbors complain. Just enough to surround all of them in what was happening on the television screen.

As the music started, Ethan felt something strange building up inside of him. A single sound came through the speakers as a dark and creepy place crept onto the screen. The sound was...dry, and almost whiny but it was beautiful. As more sounds joined in Ethan felt his entire body shudder from head to toe and a sense of calm wash over him. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the rush, continuing to listen to what he assumed were instruments make wonderful sounds as his toes curled in a feeling that he had never felt before. He didn't even know the word to describe it.

"Those sounds are made from different instruments." Wesley whispered.

Ethan's head snapped up to stare at his brother, wonder in his eyes.

"What kind of instruments make sounds like that?" He was familiar with the kind of music that his mother played, mostly classical. And he had seen Disney movies like Lion King and Mulan, but this dark soundtrack...was new.

"There are lots of different instruments Ethan. If you play them in a certain style they make you feel certain way." Wesley smiled at his brother, before singing along to the lyrics that Ann and him knew all too well.

Ethan sat back and stared at the screen, in love with the creepy sounding music. Something inside of him was buzzing, and it felt good. He felt like the music was dancing with his soul, and he never wanted it to end.

He sat for the rest of the movie, smiling every time the music played. He loved everything about it. The music reminded him of himself, and he could feel the dark edges of it pulling at his heart strings. When it was over, Ethan begged for Ann to play it again, and she was more than happy to agree. This was the distraction after all. After the second time through, Ethan turned to his brother, full of questions.

"Wes?" He bit his lip, unsure.

"Hm?" Wesley turned his head to face him.

"How does this music..." He wrung his hands together. Music had never been his strong suit and he felt foolish for asking about it. "How does it get made?"

Wesley smiled, "Well momma told me about the process once." The nine year old's eyes were sparkling, "She said that someone called the composer writes the music and then someone else called a manager calls together all sorts of people who play different instruments so that they can make this music happen. They call people based on how many sections of instruments there are and how many people need to be in those sections. It's called instrumentation. If the instrumentation is full then that means they have everyone they need."

"How do they know what to play? Do they get piano music like how we have?"

"Uhm no not really. They get their own sheet music made specifically for their instrument. The composer writes it all out."

"Does the composer know how to play all the instruments he writes for?" _How else would they know how to write for it?_ He thought to himself.

"No that doesn't really happen. Normally composers play one instrument and that is usually the piano. They just know how to write for the different parts because they know a lot about music theory and how to transpose in different keys for the different instruments. They have an idea in their head on how they want the music to sound and then they make it happen. Pretty cool huh?"_  
_

Ethan nodded and scratched his head.

"Pretty crazy." Ethan sighed, "So who was the composer of the music for this movie?"

A wide grin stretched across Wesley's face. "That would be Danny Elfman. He is a genius."

Wes turned to look at Ann, "Hey Ann?"

"Hmm?" She was slightly distracted by the short films that came on to the screen after the credits.

"Could you go grab that Oingo Boingo CD that your dad likes to play?"

She smiled, "Sure Wes."

"What's Oingo Boingo?" Ethan stood up to stretch.

"You'll see." Wes looked pleased with himself as they waited for Ann's return.

"Here you go." Ann chirped and handed the CD case over to Wes. Ethan watched as he walked over to the stereo. He pushed a button and stuck the CD into a bulky machine, flipped some more switches and turned up the volume as far as it could go.

"Wes play No One Lives Forever!" Ann said happily, placing herself in the middle of the living room as Wes hit number four on the stereo and joined Ann. As soon as the music started, they began dancing wildly around the room.

Ethan sat back down, cross-legged. He listened carefully to the music that was making the walls shake. It had that same creepy feeling, but it was much more exciting. Finally unable to sit any longer, Ethan joined the pair and copied their crazy movements. He shimmied and shook, he bobbed his head in time, and as the music came to a particularly exciting part they began to jump around in circles.

When the song ended, Wes stopped the CD and looked over at Ethan.

"See? Danny Elfman is a genius." He smiled.

Ethan let his jaw slack, "Wait that music was Danny Elfman too?"

"Yeah." Wes smiled, "No one is stopped from doing whatever they want to do in music. They can compose music for orchestras or they can be the singer in a rock and roll band. Or both, or whatever else they want to do. There are so many possibilities."

"So Danny Elfman was the guy singing in that rock and roll?" Ethan asked, rolling the new term on his tongue.

"Yep. That was him alright. He also did all the singing for Jack Skellington in the movie. This guy is incredible." Wes walked over to the stereo and turned the volume down. He pressed play on the CD player and let the music start from the beginning of the album.

Ethan smiled and sat himself down on the floor. He reclined and let himself get caught up in the music and his mind wandered along with it. He closed his eyes and let his bliss continue until the music stopped playing. They slowly drifted open and he found that in his stupor, Wes and Ann had joined him where he had been laying and they were both asleep. Their arms were curled around him, and he flinched at their closeness, wondering if they knew what might happen if he was startled. Then he relaxed and sighed. A new feeling washed over him as he lay there snuggled between his two favorite people in the world. It was warm and filled him from head to toes, he smiled as a small tear ran down his cheek.

_I don't ever want this to end._

A small part of him grasped onto the moment, terrified it would leave him. The larger part knew that someday it would.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**So for this chapter I have taken a lot of liberty (or at least I feel like I have) when it comes to real world things merging with Soul Eater world. I just feel like this is the start of where Soul (Ethan) begins to gain knowledge about music and I'm not creative enough to invent bands or composers. Also, I feel like it will be easier to relate with if you guys have some understanding of who these people are. Again I don't own anything that I have used. That includes Soul Eater characters, Composers, Directors, Movies, Bands, ETC. If I did I wouldn't be having money problems now would I?**

**Anyways, if anyone has questions about anything musical from this chapter or those to come please feel free to message me. Granted, I'm not a music major yet, but I do have a basic understanding of music theory and I can help sort out confusion. This includes any questions you may have about composers, bands or anything else. I am happy to help in anyway I can.**

**NOW FOR THE STORY PART: **

**Kids are distracted easily. So don't be put off by the fact that they have all but forgotten about Grey and Granny. No worries, they are absolutely fine and will be back in the next chapter. **

**The part about the music dancing with his soul...I'm hoping that you can deduct the foreshadow I've implied there. **

**Just so there is no confusion, this chapter ends at around noon. **

**Thanks for reading! I would love to hear some feedback :) It's always humbling (and encouraging) to see what y'all think of my story.**

**Kay, bye!**

**P.S. I dedicate this chapter to my very good friend Vito for pushing me to update :) I promise you aren't annoying. It's actually awesome that you want to read more and I'm sorry it took so long. The holidays are crazy at my house (probably just like everyone else's XD)**

**P.S.S Merry late Christmas y'all!**


	11. Chapter 11: Black and Red Paradise

**I do not own Soul Eater or House of the Rising Sun**

* * *

Ethan's light sleep was interrupted by a knock on the front door. He stirred for a moment, thinking that maybe he had imagined the soft knocks, but after waiting the sound returned. Three taps sounded from the door. Ethan groaned and as quietly as he could, he rolled away from the cocoon of warmth that Ann and Wes had been providing. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and stumbled towards the sound.

"Who is it?" He grumbled, unhappy that his nap had been interrupted.

"It's your grandmother and I Ethan." Grey's voice sounded muffled through the door.

Ethan reached up to undo the lock and opened the door for the two. He watched with careful eyes as Granny walked in first followed by Grey. Both looked tired, and there were random spots of black and red on their faces. He tilted his head in curiosity and took a shallow breath. They smelled like momma's house. Granny was holding a small black, old-looking square box that had buckles on it.

"Hello Ethan." Granny smiled and crouched down to be eye level with him, setting down the box by the door.

"Hi." He rubbed the back of his neck and stared at a wall, uncomfortable with how close she was.

"How was your day?" Her smile grew wider and she reached to gently take his hand. He flinched at the contact.

"It was fine." The distance between them was too small, and it was beginning to feel unbearable.

"Just fine? Not amazing?" Her eyes flickered over to Wesley and Ann who were still sleeping contently on the floor.

He nodded and pulled his hand away slowly, wrapping it around the other and rubbing them together. He took a small step back, and watched as her smile grew slightly.

_Why does she always smile? _He thought with a grimace.

She made a sudden move, and Ethan reflexively shot his arms up to cover his face, only to see that she was getting up to wake Wesley and Ann. He relaxed slightly and brought his hands down.

_Why am I so scared of her? _He kicked the carpet in frustration and huffed before marching to the couch and picking up his guitar. He had set it there earlier, but forgot about it when they started watching the movie.

He covered the strings with his hand, but didn't put any pressure on them. Grey told him that this was called scratching, and it could be used in a song or to practice strumming patterns. He practiced going down the line of note lengths. He went from whole to half to quarter to eighth to sixteenth notes and then all the way back up. Playing on the strings felt like something close to meditating. Even though he wanted to practice his chord progressions, strumming the strings was enough for now. He still wasn't comfortable actually doing much of anything around Granny. She was a stranger and she was related to momma. She was danger.

He wasn't paying attention as she woke Ann and Wes from their sleeping positions on the ground. He kept his head down when she walked back to the door to pick up the old box and set it in the kitchen, but when she plopped down next to his seat on the couch he stopped his motions and set the guitar across his lap, studying the inlays on the fret board intently. He heard her sigh next to him and felt her hand pat his head.

"Ethan." He turned to look into her eyes. Warmth radiated from them but there was something else behind it. A seriousness, "I know that I remind you of your mother but there is no reason to be afraid of me dear." She smiled.

He turned his eyes away, still unsure.

She sighed and got up from the couch. He didn't know where she went, but he let go of a breath he didn't know he had been holding and felt a strange mix of guilt and relief at her absence. He picked up the guitar and resumed strumming. It didn't feel as fulfilling as it had before.

"Hey Ethan." Grey said as he walked over to the living room and took a seat, "Why don't you play the A minor chord progression I taught you yesterday."

"Sure Grey." He positioned his fingers and was about to strum when Grey stopped him.

"Hold on." He dug around in his pocket and handed Ethan something that looked like a clip, "Put this on the sixth fret and then play it."

Ethan did as he was told and tested the chords. A look of confusion tinted the corners of his expression and he looked up at Grey.

"That is called a capo. It raises the pitch of the chords so you can play in a different key." He smiled and encouraged Ethan to play.

He began to strum the pattern in quarter notes. Am-C-D-F

"Good. Now mix up the rhythm a bit." Grey picked up his own guitar, placed a capo on the fret, and began to demonstrate. He slowly repeated the pattern and allowed Ethan to mimic it.

"Yeah just like that." Grey dropped out and let Ethan continue the pattern.

He was having a good time of it, happily soaking up the praise that Grey so easily gave to him. He was practically glowing, and when Grey began to sing a low haunting tune, Ethan's smile widened.

"There is a house in New Orleans." Ethan hadn't known that a voice could be so low.

"They call the Rising Sun." The tempo was slow, and Grey was singing beautifully.

"And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy, and me oh God I'm one." Ethan heard two small clicks behind him in the kitchen, but paid them no mind as he continued the duet with his teacher.

"My momma she's a tailor. She sewed my new blue jeans. My father, he's a gamblin' man. Down in New Orleans." Before Grey could start the next verse, a new instrument was added to the mix. Ethan almost stopped playing at the sounds he heard from the kitchen, instantly he knew that it was a violin. He had heard momma play her violin many times, but for some reason this one sounded different. Momma was very good at the violin, and everything she played sounded perfect, but this sound was more...raw.

As Grey finished the lyrics, the violin wove in and out of the music. It added its own rhythms and counter-melodies. It was amazing. Ethan knew that the one playing had to be Granny and he finally understood that 'tradition' that Wes had told him about. All members of the family played instruments, and even though Ethan had only ever met this single relative, he knew that the skill level was probably very high for each family member.

The song drew to a close, and Ethan strummed the last chord. Grey leaned back into the couch and smiled towards the kitchen.

"Emily I had no idea you could play like that."

A small applause rang through the air, and without thinking Ethan stood to take his bow. Wes and Ann added a few wolf-whistles to their clapping and laughed at the blush on Ethan's face as he rose.

"How dignified." Granny had walked back into the living room and was smiling sweetly at Ethan. "Where did you learn to bow like that?"

"Wes taught me." Ethan muttered, his face turned down in embarrassment.

"It was flawless."

His head rose at her words and he watched her turn to look towards Wesley.

"Well done Wesley. I'm proud of you for taking the place your mother should have years ago." Shame drew a heavy line across her forehead, but her smile never left her face.

"Aww, it was nothing Granny." Wes smiled, and Ethan stared at his grandmother. Her eyes met his.

"And I'm proud of you too Ethan. You _deserve_ to be in this family." There was something in her voice, something that told him that even if he didn't have a musical bone in his body, Granny would have made him feel welcome anyways. The look in her eyes said that she didn't care that he was a monster...that he was a mistake. He was family.

"Grh." Ethan choked out a sob and moved to cover his face with his hands, but Granny moved faster. She made her way to the couch, took hold of his small hands and pulled him to sit on her lap. She gently forced him to meet her gaze.

"Ethan you are family." She smiled softly, "And you are always welcome."

His tears were coming faster now and he couldn't stop the sobs that wracked his body. He wrapped his arms tightly around her torso and buried his face in her chest. He wailed louder when she put her arms around him, held him closer, and rubbed his back. Wes had been the only one to ever comfort him like this, but maybe he could get used to other people being this close.

His sobbing eventually quieted, and slowly he let himself fall asleep in her arms. As he slept, he was unaware that he was being carried out of the Cross home. He didn't hear the warm 'goodbye's and 'thank you's that were exchanged at the door, and he didn't feel one of Granny's hands move from his back to hold one of Wesley's as they walked home in the late afternoon sun. The only thing he was aware of was the strong arm that kept him cradled against her warm middle, and the gently sway of her step as she walked.

* * *

When he woke up, he was in complete darkness. Panic gripped his throat and he bolted up from the soft place where he was laying.

_No! _He thought, _I knew it! I knew this would happen!_

He couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face as he stumbled around the room. The dark was suffocating, and he couldn't find his voice.

_She put me back in the basement...I'm in the prison. Wes won't help me now, he likes her better._

He started crying again, all of his senses on overdrive. He wasn't thinking straight.

_I'm going to be in here forever...for the rest of my life._

Finally, his vocal chords began working and he screamed for all he was worth. He screamed and screamed and screamed, his eyes shut tightly, his hands balled up in fists at his sides.

_How could she do this? I thought she was different!_

After a few moments, he realized that someone was shaking him and his voice had given out. The only sound that escaped his throat was a small wheeze.

The shaking wouldn't stop, and there was a ringing sound trapped in his ears. A muffled voice was saying something, but he couldn't figure out what.

"ETHAN!" His eyes snapped open, and he was momentarily blinded by light. When his vision cleared, he saw that the person shaking him was Wes. There was a terrified look on his face and tears were pricking at the corners of his eyes. Granny stood in the doorway, a hand covering her mouth.

"Ethan...?" He looked back at his brother and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. Wesley had no trouble returning it.

"What's wrong Ethan? What happened?"

_I'm not in the basement. Wes is here. I'm okay._

Ethan was panting, the adrenaline slowly leaving his body as he pulled back slightly.

"It was so dark..." A tear rolled down his cheek, "I thought...I thought."

Understanding slammed into Wes's expression and Ethan felt himself being hugged even tighter.

"You thought you were back in the basement." He heard Granny gasp from the doorway.

Ethan nodded. Rivers were flowing gently down his cheeks and making Wes's shirt soggy.

"It's okay Ethan, you're never going to be put back in there again." Wes pulled away to look into Ethan's eyes. "Ever. You hear me? Not while I'm around."

He couldn't do anything but nod as he sobbed again. Wes grunted and picked him up bridal style, placing him on the bed before his slight strength gave out. Ethan laid his head on Wes's lap and let his brother stroke his hair as his breathing began to even out.

When he was finally calm, Ethan opened his eyes and swept them over his surroundings. He was on a big bed that had a red and black checkered blanket on it. The walls were painted red, but were splattered with black in random places. There was a black dresser in the corner by the window, and a nightstand beside the black bed frame. A desk sat next to a wardrobe, and all of the furniture was black with red splattered paint. A black fan hung suspended from a black ceiling, and its light glowed warmly. He couldn't smell anything but paint. Wes and Granny were both in their pajamas, and when he looked down Ethan discovered that he was too.

"Hey Wes?" His voice was small and raspy, still wary, "Where are we?"

Wes chuckled and shook his head. "We're home Ethan. This is your room."


	12. Chapter 12: New Connections

-Tsuri Kage POV-

_Dammit!_

He threw himself at his sparring partner and let loose a flurry of punches. With them, he was able to release some of his pent up frustrations from the past week. He had scoured every main data base, paid off his most reliable resources, even went as far as begging a student to use her budding perception abilities to aid in his search...but still nothing. Not even a _w__hisper _of something that might help them find the Evans family.

"Whew!" Hana puffed as she picked herself up off the floor. "You really needed to blow off some steam!"

Tsuri grunted in response and warmed down with some stretches.

"It's only been a week Tsuri you can't expect so much. They've never been in our system and I'm assuming they're in an isolated area. Charles really didn't want us to find them, and he made damn sure not to leave a bread crumb trail. This isn't going to happen over night. I know it's hard but we have to stay patient." She walked over to where he was squatting and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.

He sighed and stood to face Hana. Her warm smile and worried eyes made her look more innocent than she really was. She was always the more rational one between the two of them. He patted her head affectionately and walked towards the school, Hana trailing not far behind. She was humming to herself as they walked.

"Hana." They continued their path.

"Hmm?"

"I think it's time we went on foot." He lifted his hood and let is settle on his shoulders. The sun made his hair shine and his cartilage piercing twinkle.

"I couldn't agree with you more." She smiled and they headed for the death room, knowing that there was a long journey ahead of them.

* * *

-Windrake Falls, that same day-

"Alright boys, what do you want to eat for lunch?" Granny smiled at them from the kitchen as they played on the piano without a care in the world.

"Ramen!" Wes shouted, not missing a beat of their heart and soul duet.

"Is that okay with you Ethan?" He was more concentrated on his task. Wes had taken the melody but the bass line was still demanding.

"Mmm." He grunted and gave a slight nod. Granny chuckled to herself. The boys had been on that instrument all day, and it didn't look like they were anywhere close to being done.

_He's only been playing piano for a week and already he's able to play duets like that. _To say she was impressed would be an understatement. _He has such potential. _

She gazed at the both of them and felt a tug on her heartstrings. The way they interacted with each other while they played reminded her of her late husband. They were so close, and the bond between them was portrayed clearly when they played. Wes was laughing and going through his part flawlessly, Ethan never far behind in returning his smiles. She sighed and turned back to the pot of ramen that was beginning to settle.

"Alright boys finish up!" She called from the kitchen, "It's time to eat!"

The piano stopped abruptly, and she could hear them scramble towards the kitchen.

_They didn't even finish the phrase! _She thought with a chuckle.

When she turned around, both boys were waiting patiently in their seats and smiling at her. She made her way to the table, pot in hand. They both moved their hands out of the way of the hot meal and watched diligently as she served them one after the other. They waited for her to serve herself, and just as they were about to say grace out of courtesy, she stopped them.

"Alright, let's eat!" She announced and chuckled at the expressions mirrored on their faces.

"But Granny..." Ethan trailed off.

"Don't you want us to say grace?" Wesley finished.

"Well," Her smile was radiant, "you two can if you want to, but I can't stand being patient through grace when a perfectly good meal is sitting right under my nose."

They were stunned for a moment, not sure how to respond.

"Pfft." Ethan snorted.

Wes joined him and they shared a moment of laughter before tucking into their meals. She was right anyhow, how could anyone sit still and wait for food _this _good?

Once each of them had finished their noodles, Granny began to collect the dishes. Ethan stood and waved her off like Grey had done a few days before. Granny just laughed and let him pick up and wash. It was cute; the way he was mimicking Grey without entire realizing why.

While Ethan busied himself in the kitchen, Wesley pulled Granny over to the piano.

"It's been so long since we played anything together Granny." He looked up at her with wide, hopeful eyes. "Do you think we could play? I learned some new songs."

She put her hand on his head and rubbed gently, "Of course we can play together Wesley."

He smiled back at her and took his seat on the bench. She followed suit and then turned to face him.

"What do you want to play first?" The way he held his chin while he thought was almost too much, and Granny couldn't help but pat his head again. He was too much like Charles. They both were. It was strange to think about. It was as if Wes had inherited Charles's natural ease and grace in any situation while Ethan had taken on the slightly darker and more serious side of his father. They were two halves of his whole.

"What's that one you taught me when I was really little?" He turned back to the keys and began playing the melody line of chopsticks.

"Oh that little diddy!" She laughed, "It's called chopsticks. You still remember that?"

"Of course! Momma even taught me how to play the harder way to play it!" A mix of pride and anger swam in his eyes when he spoke about his mother's teachings.

"Alright then, let's see if I can keep up!" She stretched out her fingers and played a quick scale to warm up. It had been months since she had last touched a piano.

Wesley set a quick tempo, and she waited for him to finish the first phrase before adding the bass line in with the seemingly simple melody. The hard part about Chopsticks was remembering exactly how many times to play a certain phrase and when to change. Staying focused was the key; it was easy to get lost while playing this piece.

As they played and shifted seamlessly between sections, Ethan slowly approached the living room. He sat on the couch that faced the piano and leaned back, enjoying the upbeat tune. He was always amazed at just how talented his brother was. Wesley practiced every day, and momma pushed him really hard to learn fast, but it never once sounded as pure as it did now. They were both enjoying themselves immensely, and Ethan could hear their emotions. It wasn't forced and it sounded so happy.

The short song ended with a jubilant last note, and Ethan smiled.

"What next?" Granny's teeth shone brightly.

"Well, momma was teaching me a Mozart piece but I haven't been able to practice it for a while." He bit his lip nervously. He hated playing that piece with momma because it wasn't any fun, but maybe it would be different with Granny.

"Oooo Mozart? I had no idea you were already advancing into his pieces."

He blushed and pulled out his music folder. She took it gently, careful not to spill any pages, and skimmed through the titles.

"Wow Wesley this is very impressive! I can't believe you're already playing these pieces. Some of these are extremely complex." She smiled at him again, and his already red face blushed a deeper crimson.

"He's really good Granny. He practices everyday." They both turned at the sound of Ethan's voice from behind them.

"Is that so?" Granny smiled towards the eldest. Ethan nodded in response.

"Well that is a very good habit to keep. Well done Wesley." He nodded slightly, "Now which piece did you want to play?"

"Sonata in C." Wesley's confidence was beginning to peek out as he mentally prepared himself for a run through.

"K19d?" She was already pulling out the music and placing it on the piano.

"Mhmm." He nodded.

"Ethan would you be a dear and be our page turner?" She looked over her shoulder, and watched him walk over.

"Sure. What do I have to do?"

"When I nod at you just turn the page okay? It would really be a tremendous help." This woman seemed to always be smiling.

As he stood by the piano, Ethan wondered what the word 'tremendous' meant, but he had little time to ponder because they had begun to play.

It was an uplifting tune. The tone just made Ethan want to smile and that's all he could do. Every now and again Granny would nod and he would remember that he was supposed to turn the page, but mostly, he was caught up in their lovely exchange. Granny just made everything better. As they played through all three movements of the piece, Ethan listened for any mistakes, but found that either they had played it perfectly or had hidden their blips extremely well.

When it was over, Ethan clapped loudly for them. Granny smiled and stood with Wesley to curtsy while he took his bow.

"You boys are just too cute." She pulled them both in for a hug.

"Aww stop it Granny you're embarrassing us!" Ethan whined and tried to push away while Wesley smiled and nuzzled closer to his grandmother.

"You know? You two are just like your father." She was basking in the warmth of the moment, but it ended when she felt both boys flinch simultaneously.

"What's wrong?" She looked down at them to find their faces twisted with fear and sadness. Wesley recovered first.

"It's just that...whenever momma tells us that she gets angry and cries. Sometimes she..." He trailed off, lost in thought. Granny watched as Wesley took hold of his brother's hand and squeezed gently. The exchange was enough for her to put two and two together.

She imagined the boys playing together, Lila watching with an annoyed look on her face. They would do something that reminded her of Charles and she would snap. Of course she wouldn't do anything to Wesley, but instead she would take out her sorrow on Ethan, leaving his brother unable do anything but watch on in horror. The thought was enough to make her shudder and hug the boys tighter.

"Granny?" She stared down at Wesley's face, "What was our dad like? I don't really remember much about him." Ethan was holding onto his brother, listening silently.

Granny picked them both up and carried them to the couch. She cuddled them close.

"Well he was always a wild boy. He met your mother when they were very young. I remember Lila came home in hysterics one day because some punk had stolen her bicycle. Your grandfather and I spent hours comforting her and telling her that we would buy her a new one but nothing would console her because apparently the bell that was attached to the handlebars was a gift from a boy at school whom she had a crush on. After we finally got her to calm down, there was a knock at the door." Granny chuckled, remembering how surprised she had been that night, "He stood there with a big goofy grin on his bruised face and said to me 'Hi there I'm Charles but people call me Chuck. Is Lila home? I've got a present for her.' Now boys imagine my surprise at seeing a badly beaten boy, standing on my doorstep (in the middle of the night no less) with Lila's bike behind him!"

"It was like something out of a T.V. show." She paused to laugh, "I went straight up to her room and told her what happened. When I told her who the boy was, she had this confused look on her face. 'Who's Chuck?' She had no idea who this kid was. So we walked downstairs together and he stood in the foyer staring up at the ceiling. 'Woahhh, you guys must be rich or something. This place is huge!' He made himself right at home and I'll never forget what he told Lila. 'Hey Lila my name is Charles. I saw what happened earlier when that jerk Ron stole your bike. It didn't sit well with me so I went and got it back for ya!' Then he gave her a big thumbs up and said, 'A cute girl like you shouldn't have to deal with jerks like that so why don't you just let me?' I don't think I've ever seen your mother blush so much!" She sighed and felt the boys starting to relax.

"They were inseparable from that moment on. They were best friends all through middle school and when high school came around, Charles had to leave because his family was moving to Nevada. Your mother was heartbroken, but your father always stayed positive. Even on their last day together he was all smiles. He told her that he would write every day and that he would come back to her. He was even so bold as to buy them promise rings. Your grandfather really admired the gesture but we never thought that he would keep his promise." She trailed off, remembering how Lila had refused to go on a single date with anyone else. She had been all but shunning the opposite sex.

"Then on your mother's nineteenth birthday we heard an engine come roaring down the driveway so we all went outside to see who it was. There was a tall man stepping off of a black motorcycle and none of us knew who it was. Your grandfather was so mad! I thought for sure that he was going to beat the stranger up, but then he took off his helmet. We didn't recognize his face, but the silver hair and red eyes are what sent your mother running down the steps and into his arms. Your father put her down after a spin and a kiss and walked up to your grandfather Murray and I and said, "Sir, Ma'am I have been in love with your daughter ever since I got her bike back when we were eleven years old. With your permission I would like to ask for her hand in marriage.'"

"It was so unreal. I never thought that Murray would give his blessing, but after a few minutes of attempting and failing to make Charles sweat by making him wait for an answer, your grandfather agreed. They eloped the next day. When they came home from Vegas, Lila's hair was chopped off and she had a tattoo. The whole ordeal was crazy and somehow Charles paid for it all. He always was spontaneous like that."

"Wow," Wesley was stroking his brother's hair, "He was pretty awesome wasn't he."

"That he was. Your father was fearless beyond reason. He always had this look in his eyes, a calm. No matter what situation he was in, he never once lost his cool."

"Sounds like Wes." Ethan mumbled.

"But he was also as sarcastic as they come, and he never backed down from a challenge. He had this fire in him that kept him moving forward no matter what happened."

Wes giggled, "Sounds like Ethan."

"That's right." She hugged them tighter and nuzzled their faces with her own, "So when people tell you that you are like your father be proud. He was a good man. Okay?"

They nodded and shared a look before getting up from Granny's lap.

"Hey Granny?" Wes muttered, "We're going to go play outside for a while."

"Okay you two have fun. Stay close and be back before dark."

"Sure thing."

They made their way to the river and followed it downstream to the falls. They followed a tiny path that led to a cavern hidden behind the flowing water. A few years back, their mother snapped on Ethan worse than usual and then went to bed. After she was asleep, Wesley grabbed some clothes and granola bars, woke up Ethan and then they were off. They had made it all the way to the falls when Wesley realized that they had no money to travel or flashlights to navigate through the thick forests that surrounded Windrake Falls. Ethan was too afraid to go home, but they weren't able to go any farther. After a water break and some investigation they found the cave and ever since then, it had been their hide out. Whenever they needed to get away from the house or talk about something that was a secret between just the two of them, this was where they would go.

The cave floor was soft with moss, but not particularly damp. There were lily pads and pink lotus flowers floating on the surface of the small glass like pond that remained still in the back of the cave. Their hole in the wall always smelled sweet, and in this place neither of them felt any stress. They could relax here.

"Hey Wes?" Ethan was laying with his arms behind his head, gazing up at the vines that hung lazily above them.

"Hmm?" Wes was on his belly, shifting the moss around with his hand and enjoying the softness.

"Where do you think momma is?" Ethan head Wes take a deep breath and exhale loudly.

"I don't know Ethan. I don't really care either." Wesley traced patterns into the green plants, waiting for his brother to say what was on his mind.

"Why don't you care Wes? She loves you so much." He felt sour saying those words. He hated feeling so jealous of his brother.

"I don't think she really does love me Ethan. I think she just loves the idea of me. She loves that I am good at piano, she loves that I can make friends, and she just _adores _that I look like her precious Charles...but she doesn't love _me. _There's a difference. I can see it in her eyes." Ethan sat up and leaned against the cave wall.

"I guess I never saw it like that." Even though Wes had said it, it was hard for Ethan to believe.

_Wes might just feel that way, _he thought, _I don't think she's faking. _

Wes met his brother's gaze and read him like a book.

"Think about it Ethan. You see the way Grey acts towards Ann? He would love her even if she was a completely different person. Even if she was a bad girl he would love her. If I am anything less than what she wants me to be, she wouldn't be so nice." His words were full of malice, but he was smiling and calm.

He wanted to believe him, but there was a part of him that would never be able to. He looked down at his lap and busied his hands with the moss. A strange aura hung in the air between them.

Wes sighed and chuckled lightly.

"Hey Ethan." The younger boys' head snapped up, "Let's go catch some frogs okay?"

Just like that, the weird feeling passed and they were up and running, searching for the slippery creatures. As they looked for the leopard frogs that were abundant in the area, Ethan kept glancing towards Wes. He was a lot like Granny.

_He's always smiling too. _The dark gears in his head turned, _Momma would love him no matter what. If she didn't, he wouldn't be so happy all the time. He doesn't get it. _

With a sigh, he decided to let it go.

_Stop it Ethan, _he told himself, _Wes has always been there for you and he would never ever leave you. Wes would never stop loving you and that's all you need._

Right?

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey y'all! I want to apologize for the long break I took. I think it's been about three weeks since I last updated and I am so sorry. Everything that I was writing just didn't feel write and didn't flow the way I wanted it to so I just kept deleting everything .. I can't promise this won't happen again but I swear I will start writing more every day so that the wait in between isn't so long. I think the problem was that I lost sight of my character :P oh well. Live and learn right?**

**Anyways!**

**I've decided that it's been too long since we've seen what our meister-weapon team has been up to so just a quick check in. I think in the next chapter I'm going to do a check in with Lila. Hmm...**

**Let me know what you think about Charles! I really like developing his character. He's an interesting one. My plan is that hopefully we can start to see more of what he was like through the boys and how they interact with each other as well as other people. I've also been thinking about doing some one-shots of Charles's and Lila's first few years of marriage outside of this story. I might do some one-shots of Granny too, just so that I can get a better grasp of who they are as characters.**

**Also! Just so there is no confusion, Murray Andrew Cordelia is Granny's late husband. She kept his name after he passed away. We'll learn more about him as the story goes on. **

**Thanks for reading! It amazes me that people like what I write X) thank you all for the support and thank you very much to my dear friend SquallAce for all of the help that you have been giving me. You truly are the best! He's writing an intriguing story called 'Chronicles of Death City' if you are interested in reading a twisting plot line that keeps you guessing with pretty stellar battle scenes thrown into the mix.  
**

**TTFN ta ta for now!**

**Kay, bye!**


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